


I'm Just Septic-Eyed

by wholocked_Pinkie_in_theImpala



Series: Septic-Eyed [1]
Category: CinnamonToastKen (YouTube RPF), Cryaotic (Youtube RPF), JackSepticEye (YouTube RPF), Markiplier (YouTube RPF), PewDiePie (YouTube RPF), SamGladiator (YouTube RPF), Taurtis (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blind Character, Blindness, Bullying, M/M, Minor Character Death, PewdieCry - Freeform, albeism, mainly a septicplier fic, mute character, septipler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 19:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 47,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6090895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholocked_Pinkie_in_theImpala/pseuds/wholocked_Pinkie_in_theImpala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sean was born blind. He never really minded it much when he was younger but now those years have passed. There's one person determined to make his life a living hell; pointing out flaws and constantly taking advantage of his lack of sight.</p>
<p>His best friend Mark will have absolutely none of that.</p>
<p>[** ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WATTPAD **]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sneak-Peak

"I just want to help you, you know that, right?"

Mark stared at his friend with a worried expression. He knew that his friend tried to hide what was happening to him whenever Mark wasn't around. But this time he couldn't hide it. There was a large purple circle forming around one of his useless eyes. "If you tell me who attacked you I'll try not to kill them." Even though Sean couldn't see he was more aware of his surroundings than people who can. And if the person who attacked him was someone he was familiar with - as in he knew how they walked, or what their voice sounded like - then he could easily tell Mark who it was.

"You don't have to worry about me, Mark," Sean got up from the bench he was sitting on. "I'm perfectly fine to take care of myself." Unsure of his surroundings, he waved his arms out in front of him to see if anything was there. Then he cautiously stepped forward.

Mark sighed and got off the bench. Not only whoever attacked Sean beat him up, but they stole his white cane too. "Maybe we should get you a dog," Mark said as he grabbed onto his friend to lead him in the right direction. "It'll be helpful in protecting you and take the place of your cane."

"I don't need a dog, Mark. I already have one."

Mark smiled a bit. He knew Sean was referencing him. "I'm just saying it'll be helpful to have one." The two made their way down the block and to their apartment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pops confetti popper* This is my first septiplier fanfiction! I hope you'll enjoy it!


	2. Call me Jack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad to see that people like this already! Thank you for all your comments and kudos.

Sean walked out of the apartment with Mark following behind. After Sean heard the click of the door being locked he turned and started down the sidewalk with Mark beside him. They had walked down this road so many times before that Sean didn't need his white cane to navigate it. Though every once in a while there would be something laying on the sidewalk that would get caught under his feet. The two chatted pleasantly. Mark then began describing a game he found beautiful. Though Sean knew Mark tried his best to describe all the details, Sean couldn't see it. He wasn't sure if Mark fully understood no matter how much or hard he described something, a person who has been blind since birth cannot see the words he says.

When they arrived at school Mark lead Sean to his first class. Mark knew Sean was perfectly capable of navigating the campus by himself but it made Mark feel better if Sean didn't have to go anywhere alone. The professor smiled as he saw the men walk in. The two went to a rather small college. Almost all the professors knew their students. "How are you today, gentlemen?" The professor greeted. This was Sean's favorite professor who happened to teach his not so favorite course.

"We're doing well, Mr. Morrison," Sean answered happily. Just being around the man made him happy to learn. 

More students began to walk into the class, some greeting their teacher as they entered. "You should probably start heading to class, Mark," Mr. Morrison said. Sean could hear the smile that played on his lips. He seemed to always smile.

"Right. I'll see you 'round, Jack." Mark left with a pat on his friend's shoulder.

A few minutes later class began. Mr. Morrison greeted all his students and began the lecture. Sean was always allowed to record Mr. Morrison's lectures. He still took a few notes here and there but he mainly relied on the recordings. It was rather difficult for him to understand what was going on and focus on imputing those words and numbers into braille. Math was never his favorite subject. In the middle of Mr. Morrison explaining a problem to a student the door to the class swung open dramatically. Sean heard student's chairs creak as they turned to see who was there. "Sorry I'm late," the person said. It was male. His voice was a bit rough, but it wasn't unpleasant. Sean didn't recognize it one bit.

"Alright... Take a seat. I'm sure you'll be able to catch up." Mr. Morrison sounded confused and a bit surprised. His class was hardly interrupted in a way like this.

Sean knew there was an available seat next to him. He could feel the mysterious person fill up the blank space. Mr. Morrison continued explaining the problem on the board. "I'm Sam," the person beside Sean said. He jumped slightly at the unexpected sound. "What's yours?"

Sean hesitated a bit. Why was this guy talking to him? "Uh... Y-you can call me Jack."

Sam hummed in response. Sean awkwardly went back to listening to the professor. First this guy just randomly entered class and then he starts talking to Sean in the middle of a lecture. Whoever he was he was a bit strange.

Eventually class ended. Sean and the other students put their things away. A few students walked up to the front of the class to talk to Mr. Morrison while most of the students stood up and left. Sean got up from his seat, slung his backpack on his shoulder and made a grab at where his white cane was. But his hand met air. He panicked slightly but thought that it could have fallen without him noticing. Sean bent over and searched the ground for the familiar shape. His fingers bumped into it and he grabbed it, preparing himself to stand up, but something - it felt suspiciously like a foot- came into contact with his side and he toppled over. He heard feet stop shuffling out the class and some mumbling. Sean ignored it and pushed himself off the ground. His head collided with the desk above him making him hiss and curse under his breath. Someone walked over to him. "Would you like some help?" It was a female. Her voice was soft as if she was unsure she should be talking.

Sean flushed. "Y-yeah." The female guided Sean out from under the desk and helped him up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He could hear a smile.

Mark was waiting for Sean outside. "You okay?" Mark couldn't help but ask. His friend took longer than he usually did getting out of class. Sean was just always so carefree that Mark had to worry for the both of them.

Sean grinned. "Never better."

Mark smiled. "Alright. Well you want me to walk you home today? My class starts in ten minutes so I have some time."

"Not that much time. Besides - I'm a big boy, Mark, I can handle myself." _I just can't handle getting out from under a desk._

Mark chuckled a bit. "I don't doubt you. But be safe alright? I'll meet you for lunch."

The two parted ways.

Sean strolled down the familiar sidewalk. The wind that carried his hair smelled sweet. Not a candy sweet that's very pleasant but a sickening sweet - like someone dumped a bottle of perfume into the air. Sean thought about where it could be coming from while he walked. As he was almost home he heard feet pounding against the cement. For a second he thought Mark was running to catch up with him, but the pounding was too harsh. That wasn't Mark racing toward him. Sean's mind took off with different possibilities and none of them were good. But he reasoned that the person was just going to run around him. Yet... why were they running so fast?

As the person drew near, Sean was expecting to hear their feet move off to the side, but they didn't. The footsteps stayed on their path and Sean felt two hands pushing against his back. Sean was sent to the ground and the feet ran off. He stayed on the ground for a few seconds absolutely confused as to what just happened. He picked himself and his cane off the floor. His knees hurt and his hands stung but he made it home. After feeling around in his backpack pocket for the apartment key, he attempted to find the keyhole with it. Once found the door unlocked and it was opened.

Sean immediately entered and locked the door after. He threw everything on the couch and hurried to the bathroom. He washed his hands trying to ignore how the soap burned them. Mark couldn't know.


	3. Silent Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FORGOT TO MENTION the previous chapter takes place before the sneak-peak. Just in case you couldn't tell.

Sean was laying on the couch listening to music when Mark walked in. He waved to his friend as he locked the door. Mark's smile faded slowly and his lips moved but Sean couldn't hear what was said. Mark walked up to Sean and pat him on the leg. Sean moved so Mark could sit and his hand trailed the chord of his ear buds to find the pause button. "What's up?"

"I asked what happened to your hand." Mark sat on the couch beside Sean's feet. "It looked like you scraped it on something."

Sean internally cursed at himself. He didn't think about finding a bandage. "Uh, I-I just fell against the wall."

He heard Mark exhale through his nose. He was very familiar with what that meant. It was a rather motherly thing to do. "Are you lying to me, Sean?" Sean could have sworn his mother was right where Mark should be sitting. "I won't be mad at you if you are I just -"

"Oh my God, Mum, calm down," Sean threw his arms up in exasperation. "I'm not lying to you - hey!" Sean felt his arms get grabbed and yanked toward Mark. "M-Mark!"

"Both your hands are like this." Mark poked at Sean's palms but careful to avoid hitting the scrapes. "What really happened to you, Sean?"

Sean squirmed in his seat. He hated being referred to as Sean; especially by his best friend. But he knew Mark was being serious. "I-I just..." Sean couldn't form the words Mark wanted to hear. He couldn't know what happened. Not after class, not walking home from school, nothing. Sean yanked back his hands which surprised both men. They both knew Mark was the stronger of the two. "I'm not lying to you, Mark."

Mark absolutely did not believe a word of that. But he dropped the subject to be picked up another time. "I'll go make lunch, then. What do you want?" Mark pushed himself up using one of Sean's knees.

Sean bit his lip to stop any noise of pain coming out. Even through his jeans his knees got jacked up when he fell. "J-just whatever you feel like having." Sean heard his voice come out pinched and restricted. He cleared his throat. "Uh, I'm not all that hungry."

Mark quirked his eyebrow but said nothing. When Sean heard Mark's footsteps in the kitchen he let out a silent sigh of relief. He pressed the button on his ear buds and continued to listen to music.

~~~

Sean awoke with a start. He wasn't sure if Mark shaking him was what did it or if it was his phone falling to the floor and yanking out his ear buds from his ears. Sean's speech came out slurred and confused. Mark laughed. "Wake up, buddy. You got class in twenty minutes."

"I got what?" Sean shook his head slightly to wake up. "What time is it? Did I fall asleep?"

"You fell asleep about an hour ago." Mark picked up Sean's phone from the floor. When he checked the time on it he made sure to pause the music. "It's almost 1:30."

Sean threw his head back against the couch and sighed. "Can't I just skip class today and go back to sleep?"

"Nope." Mark grabbed onto Sean's wrists and began pulling him into a sitting position. Sean whined but didn't protest. He turned his head to Mark and pouted. Mark chuckled and ruffled his friend's hair. "Up and at 'em, Jackie." When Mark saw that Sean wasn't making any effort to move, he took it upon himself to move the lazy student. He grabbed Sean's legs and moved them off the couch and then he pulled on Sean's arms to get him to stand up. Sean whined again but remained standing.

Mark put Sean's phone in his hand. "I'll go get your stuff." 

Sean unplugged his ear buds and slid his phone into his pocket. When Mark came back he handed Sean his backpack and white cane. "I'll see you later, Mark." But as Sean turned Mark put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving.

"You're not going anywhere without me, mister."

"What? Why? You don't have anymore classes today."

Mark began guiding Sean to the door. "I just wanna make sure you get to school safely. Is that a crime?" Sean began sputtering in his attempt to find a reason why Mark could stay home. But his attempts failed when he heard the door open. Instead he decided to sigh and wait for Mark to lock the door.

As much as he would hate to admit it, Sean actually liked walking with Mark. He just didn't like it when Mark implied it was for helping. He could take care of himself even with the major setback of lacking sight. Mark was a good friend, but he sure could be oblivious to Sean's constant want to do things by himself. Once in a while Sean found it a little annoying. He always thought about talking to Mark about it but the idea of hurting his feelings always stopped him from acting on it. 

While they walked Mark started to talk about that game again. Sean smiled to himself. He could always hear how happy Mark got when he talked about certain games. Mark being happy always made Sean happy. 

They entered a classroom. "I'll see you in a few hours, Jack." Sean heard a small smile. Sean grinned back in response. When Mark's footsteps walked out another familiar pair of feet walked in. The feet took the seat next to Sean. Sean heard the person slide a paper over to him. He felt the all-too-familiar phrase bump out under his fingers and he turned his head to the person and smiled broadly. "How's it goin', Cry?"

Cry and Sean got along surprisingly well. Considering Cry was a mute who communicated through sign language - which obviously  includes sight as a major factor in communication - the two carried out pleasant conversations. Sean had to teach Cry braille in order for them to talk whenever Mark or Felix weren't around and in return Cry tried to teach Sean sign language. It was an ongoing process but Sean appreciated the thought.

Sean heard Cry take out another piece of paper and the sounds of dots being punched on said parchment. Cry slid the paper over. Sean's fingers glided over the page to read Cry's words. _"I've been having a pretty good day so far. How've you been?"_

Sean sighed and debated telling Cry the things that happened. He knew Cry wouldn't tell Mark if he asked. That's what made Cry a good friend to vent to. "I... Can you promise not to tell Mark? I really don't want him to worry." Cry grabbed Sean's hand and turned it over. Sean heard Cry make a small gasp. Yet Cry brought his finger to Sean's palm and wrote an 'x' on it. That was to show that he promised. "Okay, well, in Mr. Morrison's class today someone kicked me over when I was trying to pick up my white cane and when I was walking home someone was running toward me and pushed me down."

The paper moved and the punching noises were heard again. Sean read what was on it when Cry handed it back. " _It sounds like someone is deliberately seeking to hurt you. Did you recognize who they were?"_

"No," Sean sighed. "It's times like these where I really wish I could see. And that I'm really glad you're not deaf."

Cry made a noise that Sean knew was meant to be laughter. That made Sean smiled a bit. Even if it sounded like wheezing most of the time, Cry's laugh could really cheer anyone up. Before either of the two could start speaking again, the professor began the lecture.


	4. If I Could

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the positive feedback! Reading your comments make my day, honestly. Sorry about forgetting to upload yesterday. School had me stressed out.

Once class ended Sean and Cry walked out together. From the way the wind felt and the lack of warmth, Sean could tell the sun was setting. He turned to face where he assumed Cry was. "Is Felix coming to pick you up? I know Mark will be on his way, so I'll wait with you if you'd like."

Cry instinctively nodded his head but then realized his mistake soon after. He flushed and grabbed Sean's hand. Cry poked his friend's palm to spell 'yes' in the dots he was familiar with. Sean smiled a bit. He knew he was going to have to do most of the talking to prevent Cry from taking out paper or having to use his finger to poke, but he didn't really mind. The two were a curious pair of friends. One blind, the other mute. Both lacking a major factor in communicating with one another. Strange how things work out.

Sean began to talk about the game Mark was constantly describing lately while he walked with Cry. He knew the words he described were ones that could be seen by Cry, which made him a bit jealous. Cry, Mark, Felix - they were all gamers. They all could see the worlds and colors and people that Sean couldn't. He was jealous that Cry could see something Mark was so passionate about. But he didn't let that ruin his good nature. He continued to describe the game to Cry, who hummed in response to show he was listening. "Have you played the game before?" Sean received a hum as an answer. "Is it as pretty as Mark says it is?" Another hum.

Sean frowned a bit. He was blind his whole life; he knows no different. No matter how Mark describes things he just _can't_ see it. Sean shook his head of the thoughts and grinned at Cry. "So how -" Something struck Sean at the back of his head. Cry made a confused noise. Sean hissed a bit and brought his hand to the back of his head. He felt something warm and fluid beneath his fingers. Cry yelped - what was left of his voice cracking - and Sean heard something clatter against the floor. The sound of something hard hitting pavement. "W-was that a rock?"

Cry whimpered. Sean didn't know where Cry had been hit, but he was absolutely livid. They could hit Sean all they wanted but Cry? There was no way in hell they could get away with that. "Where are they, Cry?" Sean hissed through clenched teeth. Cry made a confused noise in an attempt to say that he didn't know. "Come on out, you fuckers!" Sean heard his voice echo off the walls of the quad. If there were other students around he knew they would be staring at him like he was crazy.

There was a tug on Sean's bag and several noises that came from Cry. And then Sean heard a familiar voice, "What's going on?" Followed by what sounded like two pairs of feet jogging toward them. Sean cringed and turned around slowly. He knew Felix and Mark were expecting him to answer.

"Uh..." Sean rubbed his neck; a nervous habit he often did while concentrating. In a normal situation he could try to lie to Mark, but that wouldn't work. Felix was here. Sean couldn't just lie to Cry's boyfriend like that. "Uh, we kind of... uh... got stoned." Sean let out a nervous laugh and held up his hand; where blood stained his finger tips.

Mark and Felix began talking over each other at once. Sean heard Felix rush over to Cry. There were a bunch of Swedish words being jumbled with English ones that caused Cry to constantly make uncomfortable noises. Sean felt hands grab his shoulders which made him jump, but he soon realized it was Mark. "Where'd you get hit?" Mark asked softly. His voice was calm and everything Felix wasn't at the moment.

Sean sighed quietly and pointed at his head. He felt Mark move behind him to look. "It doesn't look that bad." Hearing Mark's voice practically whispering from behind him caused Sean to shiver. "We'll clean it up when we get home, alright?" Sean nodded, still slightly unnerved by the sound in Mark's voice. He's never heard that tone before. Was it sadness? Disappointment? He couldn't tell for sure.

The four dispersed - each pair going a separate way. Mark didn't say anything on the walk home. There wasn't any talk of the pretty game or what happened only minutes ago. Sean gripped onto his white cane until he felt his fingers turn cold. Having things be silent made him super uncomfortable. With one sense unavailable to him all he relied on were the other four. And if there was one he couldn't rely on it gave him a form of anxiety - like he was completely helpless.

The key turning in the lock made Sean sigh involuntarily. Maybe now Mark would start talking. Before Sean could set his white cane against the wall by the door, Mark grabbed his arm and started dragging him to the bathroom. Mark made Sean sit on the toilet seat and then Sean heard running water. Sean's mind tried to process what was going to happen but Mark had done the action before a thought was complete. A startled sound escaped Sean's lips as he felt something cold be pressed against the back of his head.

Sean took in a sharp breath when he felt Mark's hand on his chin. Mark turned Sean's head gently and when he released his hand Sean let go of the air he was holding. For some reason, Sean found himself trembling. "M-Mark?" Not even his voice came out steady. "Are you going to say anything? Y-you know how I feel about..."

"Sorry," Mark responded in that same soft voice. Sean's hands became even more unsteady. Not being able to sense Mark's emotion caused Sean to panic. Is this what a panic attack felt like? "I just don't understand why anyone would do this. If I would've gotten there sooner maybe you and Cry would be okay."

"Mark." Sean said his name almost like a warning.

"I feel like this is my fault."

Sean clenched his shaking hands. Tears began to form and he became angry. "Stop." Sean heard the change his voice took to keep from shouting at his friend. He felt the cool washcloth move away hesitantly. "This isn't your fault, Mark. If you want to play the if game then we'll play it. I-If I could see I would've known who attacked us - hell - maybe they wouldn't have thrown anything at all. If I could see everything would be easier. If I-"

"Alright I get it," Mark snapped. Sean felt his chest clench. "I'll try not to bother you." There was the sound of something wet slapping the counter and the floor squeaking beneath angered feet. Sean turned his head toward the doorway and let all the tears stain his face. All the while he continued to shake violently. 


	5. Hands to Hold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending last chapter didn't go as I expected it to. We were following directions then got distracted by the feels forest and decided to take a visit. Also, I appreciate all these comments so much! If I could reply to all of them I would. I encourage you guys to write some more! They really make my day.

Sean didn't know how long he sat there shaking, crying, and trying his best to breathe. Everything that happened since he got out of class kept repeating over and over and over. He felt like a total jerk. There was no reason for him to say those things to Mark. Being blind didn't bother him much, really. Or did it? He was born blind - there's nothing else he knows. Yet why did he say those things? Not seeing was perfectly fine. Then why did he often wish he could? Sean let out a loud sob, but he quickly covered his mouth.

Being blind was OK being blind was OK, being blind was OK... Sean continued to repeat that to himself. He believed that all his life. Why was now different? Sean took in a deep breath and let it out shakily. He should apologize to Mark.

But he couldn't. His body was shaking so bad he could hardly move, but he heard something that told him he wouldn't have to. Floorboards groaned and Mark gasped. "J-Jack?" Mark knelt in front of his friend. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I-I think I m-might be h-having a panic attack." Sean certainly wasn't an expert on this so he didn't know if that's what this was. It seems like it started when they got home and Mark continued to be silent.

"Just listen to me, alright? Just focus on my words. Can you handle that?"

Sean nodded. Listening was kind of his forte.

"Okay. It's no big deal, right? You can do this. Breath with me, alright? Just simple deep breaths. It's easy, you can do it." Mark and Sean began breathing together. Mark's breaths being calm while Sean's were hitched from his crying. "You're doing great, bud. Now I'm gonna need you to write something. It can be easy. Maybe the alphabet or the same word." Mark but his hand palm up on Sean's knee. He tried his best to ignore how badly his friend was shaking.

Sean brought his finger to Mark's palm and began the alphabet. "Just keep breathing," Mark's voice was smooth. It was rather relaxing. "Good job, Jack. You can do this." It went on like this for a while; Mark saying calming words and getting Sean to focus on breathing and the braille he was writing.

Eventually Sean's panic ceased yet he still shook a bit. "You did great, buddy." Sean could hear the smile in Mark's voice. Sean gave an uneasy smile of his own. The question of why he had a panic attack left both their minds at the moment. They were just glad it was over. "I just started up Firewatch, you wanna watch - er - listen?"

Sean's smile turned into a grin. "I'd love to."

Mark had to help Sean walk to the living room since his legs were still a bit wobbly. But once they got there Mark picked up the game where he had left off previously. From what Sean could tell, it was a game about the forest. He heard the crunch of dirt and wind blowing. He listened to Mark's commentary on it as well as what the characters were saying to progress the story. It was a nice sounding game.

Perhaps hours passed; Mark wasn't paying all that much attention to time. What he did notice was Sean's head in his lap. Mark paused the game in the middle of Henry speaking. He looked down at Sean and saw him fast asleep. Mark felt his lips tug up. Might as well keep playing for a little while more. It's not as if Sean was going anywhere.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit short, sorry about that. I just wanted to get the panic attack out of the way to clear up any confusion and to not leave it off with him crying in the bathroom alone. It totally wasn't my intention to make Jack have one. It just kinda happened. I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	6. A Bad Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading commenting, and just enjoying this story in general. I never thought this would be as liked as it is.

It was a beautiful day outside. Or at least, from what Sean could hear. The birds were singing, Mark was going off on a tangent, everything was going great. The two didn't have any class until later that evening and that was the one they had together. So they decided to take a walk into town to pass the time. There weren't many people on the streets but every once in a while a car would pass or someone would give Sean a glance before politely stepping aside. It was quite pleasant. 

"We should get a turtle," Mark's voice was laced with excitement. "Or a tortoise. Something like that. It'd be great to have a pet." Mark thought fondly at that possibility.

Sean laughed a bit. Mark could sure rush into things. "What would you even name it? Where would it go? We live in an apartment, Mark." Sean felt someone brush by him. He didn't think twice about it. "I'm not sure we'd have enough money to buy all the necessary things."

Mark whined, "But I _wanna_. Can we at least look at some? It would make me really happy if we could. Please, Jack? Please, please, please, _please_?" Sean sighed but a smiled played on his lips. Mark continued eagerly. "C'mon. I know you wanna. You can't resist my charm."

Sean chuckled and admitted defeat. "Fine, we can look at tortoises."

Mark made a happy little squeal and practically dragged Sean to the local pet store. When the two walked in Mark was like a young child. He nearly screamed when he saw the puppies and he continued to wander the store aimlessly just looking at all the little critters. Sean let his friend walk around, he on the other hand, just stayed at the front by the puppies. Mark would call out something every once in a while and Sean would make an appropriate response.

The puppies jumped and pawed at the glass. Sean heard their little whimpers for attention and walked over to them. "Hey little buddies," he greeted them. He stuck his hand into their pen and he felt some tongues and even a paw or two. He chuckled. "I can't exactly see you guys, but I assume you're adorable."

"They are."

Sean jumped and turned toward the voice. It was a female's voice. Sean noticed she had a slight accent. She laughed a bit and apologized, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm Marzia, by the way. I work here part time. I noticed you and your friend walk in. Were you interested in a pet? Some toys? Anything like that?"

"Oh, uh, no we were just --"

"Yes!" Sean heard Mark run up to them. "I was interested in a tortoise."

Before Marzia could speak Sean did first, "Mark, we're not getting --"

"But I found one. He's so small and cute. Can't we just get him? Please, Jack?" Mark grabbed onto Sean's arm. " _Please,_ I want him -- he's so small! You know I can't resist small things. I'll do anything. I have to have him."

Sean heard Marzia giggle quietly. He felt himself flush. "I-I don't know. There's still the matter of where to put him. Our apartment can barely fit us, how will we have a pet? And then there's still the fact of how we can afford anything he'll need."

Marzia took this as an opportunity to speak. "If you guys are looking for a job there's an offer here. It pays just enough to get by and you'll get a slight discount on the tank and everything you'll need to keep your tortoise." Sean could tell Mark was trying to keep in his excitement. "The owner is very nice and your job is almost guaranteed. She takes a liking to college students around here. She knows how hard it can be."

"You wouldn't mind, would you Jack?" Mark almost pleaded. It was like he was begging for it to be okay with Sean. Sean let out a lighthearted sigh and said it was okay. Mark let go of Sean's arm and did a little dance.

"Alright, I'll get you the application," Marzia laughed. Her footsteps went off somewhere and then she returned, Sean assumed with the application. "You can just fill this out and we'll let you know when to come in for an interview."

Sean smiled. "I'll wait for you outside, Mark." He heard Mark give a distracted response. He shook his head in amusement and walked outside. He leaned against the wall of the building and sighed. Mark was too much sometimes. It wasn't a bad thing, but it could be a little stressful from time to time.

In order to pass the time Sean decided to listen to some music. It was about one of the only things he could do to pass time. Mark wouldn't be there long, anyway. Sean just started his music when he heard a noise come from the alley way by the store. As soon as sound emanated from the ear buds Sean paused it. He pushed himself off the wall and edged toward the alley.

There was a part of him that told him that this was definitely a bad idea, yet the other part of him was stupid enough to be taken by curiosity. "I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?" Sean mumbled under his breath. Yet he continued forward.

In the small alley Sean smacked his white cane into a dumpster. He jumped back a bit at the echoing boom but then the smell made a connection to his brain. He listened intently for any other life hanging around. There wasn't a sound. "Hey, Jack," a voice greeted a bit too friendly. Sean knew he heard that voice before. He tried his best to remember, but it didn't come to him. It was a bit rough but not unpleasant.

Sean must have stood there dumbfounded. In the split second that he heard feet slide against gravel something crashed into his face, making him fall back. He fell on his rear and everything else happened too fast for the rest of his senses to comprehend. There was warm blood, the smell of iron and garbage, something scraping on the ground, and then feet pounding away. All the while Sean just sat there in pain and confusion.

The door to the pet store opened.


	7. No Good Deed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I had a really busy week

"I just want to help you, you know that, right?"

Mark stared at his friend with a worried expression. He had sat Sean down at a bus stop bench. The blood flowing from Sean's nose began to dry and the bruise around his eye was becoming more prominent. "If you tell me who attacked you I'll try not to kill them." Even though Sean couldn't see he was more aware of his surroundings than people who can. And if the person who attacked him was someone he was familiar with -- as in he knew how they walked, or what their voice sounded like -- then he could easily tell Mark who it was.

"You don't have to worry about me, Mark," Sean got up from the bench he was sitting on. "I'm perfectly fine to take care of myself." Unsure of his surroundings, he waved his arms out in front of him to see if anything was there. Then he cautiously stepped forward.

Mark sighed and got off the bench. Not only whoever attacked Sean beat him up, but they stole his white cane too. "Maybe we should get you a dog," Mark said as he grabbed onto his friend to lead him in the right direction. "It'll be helpful in protecting you and take the place of your cane."

"I don't need a dog, Mark. I already have one."

Mark smiled a bit. He knew Sean was referencing him. "I'm just saying it'll be helpful to have one." The two made their way down the block that lead to their apartment. While they walked Mark noticed Sean had a slight limp. "You're limping."

Sean jumped slightly at the abrupt end to silence. "Yeah. I fell and it still kinda hurts." He rubbed his bottom to emphasize how he felt.

Without missing a beat Mark responded in a tone lower than his usual voice, "Do you want me to kiss it better?" With the straightest face he could muster -- not that Sean could see it if he smiled, but he could hear it.

Sean turned a deep crimson. "M-Mark!"

Mark burst out into laughter. "So is that a no?" Mark continued to giggle uncontrollably as Sean struggled to find the right words. "I'm just messing with you, Jack. I won't do that... unless you really want me to."

Sean groaned through his flustered phase as Mark had the time of his life. While Sean was distracted with his thoughts and attempts to make any coherent words, his foot got stuck in a crack in the pavement. He instinctively grabbed at the closest thing to him which happened to be Mark. Mark ceased his laughter as he was almost brought down with Sean. Mark, too, followed his instincts and held onto Sean as if he were to hit the ground he would be gone forever.

With all the grabbing and falling Sean had twisted in front of Mark. If anyone were to look at them it would seem that Mark had dipped Sean while they were dancing. Aware of their position, Mark flushed but did not move. Instead he just stared at his friend. The black eye was already becoming worse; the blood was no longer fresh yet it hadn't dried. His eyes were pale and murky and Mark wondered for a moment what color they would be if they could be used.

Mark didn't register Sean's voice softly speaking his name. Once the accent cut through his thoughts he shook his head slightly. He cleared his throat but he still didn't move. He couldn't even come up with any words to say. But he didn't have to.

"Hey!"

Mark's head turned toward the voice while Sean just listened. It was a male around their age running toward them. He had raven hair and sleek black headphones hanging around his neck. He held Sean's white cane. "I'm not interrupting something, am I?" The young man asked with lack of breath. Mark nearly dropped Sean in his scramble to retain composure. The young man raised a brow but said nothing about it. "I think I have something that might belong to one of you." He held out the cane. "I didn't take it, if that's what you're gonna assume."

Mark took it and put it in Sean's hand. Sean ran both his hands along it and felt an awkward jut beneath his fingers. He continued to run his hand over it to make sure he wasn't going crazy. "There's a dent in this," Sean stated in awe. He never thought it could be dented.

Mark studied the figure before him. He was only a slight bit shorter than Sean. He was a tone darker than Mark, and his eyes were darker as well. Mark's eyes widened a bit when he finally spotted it. There was a deep crimson liquid flowing behind his ear. It was beginning to trickle down his neck.

The male laughed stiffly. "Yeah, well, about that..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not that important at the moment." He made eye contact with Mark. It was as if they exchanged a silent conversation. He knew Mark made the connection with the dent and the blood already. "Let's just start with the basics. Hi, I'm Joey, but my friends call me Taurtis."

"Taurtis?" Sean tilted his head to the side a bit.

Taurtis smiled faintly. "A friend gave me that name. Anyway, I know who attacked you." Mark saw the sadness Taurtis held while Sean could definitely hear the seriousness of what this meant to the raven haired individual. "I-it was my friend, Sam. I... I don't know what's gotten into him. He changed so suddenly. I don't know what happened. I was there that day he threw rocks at you and your friend. I was so shocked I couldn't stop him. I got scared so I dragged him back home while you yelled at us. I-I guess you can blame me for your injuries as well. And yesterday he told me that he kicked you over after he met you. He put your cane on the ground so you would be more vulnerable to hurt."

Sean tensed a bit. Not because of the fact he now knew who was doing this -- though it was that, too -- it was because he never told Mark about being kicked. He waited for Mark to mention this but he didn't.

"And today," Taurtis's voice began to quiver. "He told me what he was going to do to you. I tried to stop him but... I don't even remember what happened. But after I found he had left the apartment I ran out to look for him. I didn't find him until after he got to you. He told me what he did and we started arguing. I-I called him a monster. I told him to return your cane but he refused. I grabbed it and said I would find you and do it, but he didn't let go. Long story short, I got smacked in the head with it. And so here I am now."

Once Taurtis stopped speaking he had tears in his eyes. This was clearly a big deal to him. He felt responsible for Sam's violent acts. The three men stood there in silence. Mark and Sean were absorbing the facts while Taurtis waited for a response. "A thanks should be in order," Mark finally said. "So thanks -- for telling us all this and returning Jack's white cane. I... I really don't know what else to say."

Taurtis smiled weakly. It was like his energy was drained telling his tale. "It's fine. I should let you guys go home. Sorry for keeping you." With a wave he turned on his heel and left the way he came.

Neither Mark nor Sean could come up with a quick enough response to tell him to stay. They both had a bad feeling. What would happen when Taurtis met up with Sam again?


	8. At the Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All these comments are so encouraging! Thank you to all who comment, I really appreciate it. :D In case you didn't know, No Good Deed is a song from Wicked. No good deed goes unpunished...

_**Two Weeks Later** _

Mark stared at the missing persons paper stapled to the bulletin board. It was a student that went to his college. He knew who it was, he could easily recognize the face. That broad smile looked so carefree. Yet he never thought Taurtis would go missing. He had a slight suspicion Sam was behind it but no one had seen Sam in a while either. The difference between the two disappearances was that Taurtis's was reported. Sam's absence wasn't which didn't clear up any fear Mark held for the past fourteen days. It just made it much worse.

With a heavy sigh Mark turned and left. Sean was at home sick. As much as he wanted to go to class he just couldn't get out of bed. Mark walked down the street weighted with his thoughts. The police had questioned everyone in the student apartment complexes two days ago.  Sean and Mark were apparently the last people to see Taurtis. They told the police everything. From Sean getting kicked over in class to Taurtis walking away from them. They had asked for a description of Sam but neither men could give one. Mark had never seen him before and Sean, well, couldn't see. The officers thanked them for their cooperation and left.

As soon as Mark locked the door he heard something jingling. He turned around with a big grin and greeted the dog that happily sat before him. He got down to the dog's height and began rubbing her while she licked his face. "You've been a good girl right, Chica?" Mark laughed. After a week of trying, Mark had finally convinced Sean to get a service dog. She was everything they wanted in a pet. Mark stood up and Chica followed him into Sean's room.

Sean smiled when he heard Mark step into the room. Chica jumped onto the bed and rest her head on Sean's lap. "Are you feeling any better?" Mark leaned against the door frame. He knew how much Sean hated missing school. Especially if it was from being sick.

Sean shrugged. "I'm not dead yet, so that's a good sign." His voice came out pinched from congestion.

"It always is." Mark smirked. He glanced at the time on his phone. "Well I have class in two hours. You need me to run to the store or anything?"

"Any alcohol you can get your hands on." Sean felt for the water bottle resting against his desk. Once his hand wrapped around it he added, "Please."

"Listen, I know you're Irish and all --"

"That's racist."

"-- but you're not gonna get any better trying to drink your sickness away." Mark crossed his arms over his chest. His voice came out stern like a mother trying to prove a point.

Sean threw his head back and whined. "But I'm in pain, Mark. _Please?_ C'mon." He pouted a bit. "I'll promise not to drink the next time I get sick. Just as long as you please get me something this time. It makes me feel a hell of a lot better."

Mark rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "I'm not supporting your drinking problems, Jack."

"I don't have a drinking problem," Sean replied absolutely offended. He nearly choked on his water in an attempt to answer fast enough. "I've hardly drank anything since I started school."

Mark pushed himself off the frame. "I'll get you some soup." This earned a huff of bitterness from Sean. "Be back in about twenty minutes. I'll leave Chica here with you." Mark stopped himself from leaving the room completely. He said in a low serious voice, "I swear to God, Jack, if you find a way to get any source of alcohol into the apartment I will end you. Got it?"

Sean waved his hand in dismissal and partial annoyance.  Mark took that as a yes and headed out of the apartment. Sean sighed silently. At least he tried. He put his hand on Chica's head and stroked her fur. Secretly Sean was really glad to have Chica. Now that the white cane was all wonky he didn't really have a good guide. There was something about her that made him feel safe. Of course Sean would never say that to Mark. He would break out into his "I told you so" speeches and constantly giggle in triumph.

"You think I can convince him eventually, Chica?" Sean asked the dog. He, of course, got no response but her panting. Sean smiled anyway. "I don't think I can, either." He continued petting her. Ever since the police came Sean had a growing anxiety he couldn't quite place. Was it fear for Taurtis? For himself? Of what Sam could do? The last thing Sean needed was another panic attack. He was more than pleased that Mark never questioned the last one. He refused to think about it.

For a while Sean just sat there petting Chica and contemplating life. He began to doze off but he thought he heard the door being pushed open. He wasn't sure because his ears were stuffy a bit from his nose. But sensing Chica's head rise off his lap confirmed his idea. Sean didn't think much of it, but he barely noticed that Chica didn't get excited like she usually did when Mark returned home. 

Chica leaped off the bed and bounded toward the front door. It was then that Sean had a bad feeling crawling up his spine. His breath hitched when he heard a noise he wasn't quite used to -- Chica's barking. She wasn't barking for play, she was barking as a warning. Vicious and full of intent to hurt whatever she was barking at. It was then that Sean realized the horrible truth.

That wasn't Mark at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit short, sorry. The next one will be longer. But this will be my last update until next week. I'm going on a retreat for church and I'll be gone from Friday until Sunday. Sorry to keep you waiting ;)


	9. Make no Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy. I'm back, guys. Sorry about not updating sooner. I like keeping the Wattpad version ahead of this one and I had a serious case of writer's block. And I had a stressful week.

Sean sat there absolutely terrified. He heard footsteps creak closer and Chica's barking get louder. Chica wasn't trained to attack -- no service dog is -- only to intimidate and alert. She was trying her best to do both. Eventually Sean regained some sense and scrambled for his phone. Once in his hand he tried to unlock it as fast as he could. The only person he could think of was Mark. Sean brought the phone up to his ear and heard the agonizing monotone of the call trying to go through. Through Chica's barks, the floorboard creaked right at the doorway. Sean froze and silently prayed for Mark to pick up.

The footsteps inched closer and the bed dipped.

" _Hello?"_

Sean could hear the person's laugh come out silently; like it was only air escaping. Other than Chica's determined barking everything was silent. Sean could only assume the intruder heard Mark's voice. "Why don't you hang up the phone, Jack?" The person said quietly. Any sound Sean might have come up with got caught in his throat. That was Sam's voice.

" _Hello? Jack? Are you there? Is something wrong?"_

The bed moved a bit with Sam's silent laughter. Sean's hand began to shake and all he could do was hold the phone. He heard Mark's concern grow and he began to question why Chica was barking. Sean flinched when he felt fingers graze his hand and snatch the phone. Sam hung up on Mark.

"Now," Sam sounded totally calm. It was like he didn't have a care in the world. "I obviously didn't come here for a visit -- I doubt you would even want to now that you know I was the one that did those things to you. So, I came here to send a message." The bed sunk below Sam's weight as he leaned closer to Sean. He whispered just loud enough to be heard over Chica's barking, yet quiet enough to be intimidating, "I will make your life a living hell. You think your stupid dog can stop this? You think _Mark_ can save you? No one can. If you even try to get help I'll make sure that boy toy of yours never walks again."

The way Sam said Mark's name made Sean frightened and angry at the same time. How he knew about Mark, he didn't question, but he mustered up enough courage to ask, "W-why are you doing this?"

Sean could hear the smirk in Sam's voice as he responded, "Because I can." The bed was relieved of an extra body and Sean knew Sam was going to leave. That thought didn't sooth his anxiety in the slightest.

"What did you do to Taurtis?" Sean blurted out before he was able to stop himself. He just wanted to know. "He said he was your friend. What did you do to him? All he wanted to do was help."

"That was his problem," Sam growled. "Don't ever call him Taurtis. Ever."

He heard Sam leave before more questions could be asked. When the door slammed Chica still continued to bark. Sean sighed. Not in relief, but because it was the only thing he could do. He called Chica's name and the barking ceased. She ran into Sean's room and jumped on his bed. Sean practically held onto her for dear life. What was he supposed to do?

~~~

Mark tried his best to keep everything in the grocery bag as he ran down the street. The people that were peacefully walking stared at him strangely as he zipped by. He had a great cause for concern that none of those people needed to know. When he reached the apartment he slowed up speed a bit as to not slam into the door. As he brought out his keys the next door apartment's door opened.

"Oh, hey, Mark," the neighbor greeted as Mark put the key in the lock.

Mark gave a noise of acknowledgement. He paused in his rush when he realized the door wasn't locked. He could have sworn he locked it before he left. The neighbor spoke again as Mark stared at the door in bewilderment. "Your dog was kinda going crazy while you were gone. I wasn't really sure what to do. I thought about going over to see if anything was up, but I had to go pick up Holly. I was just -- you okay there, Mark?"

Mark had turned his bewilderment from the door to his neighbor. "What did you say? The dog was going crazy?"

Ross nodded. "Yeah, she was barking nonstop for a while." He fiddled with his keys. "Is everything alright? Should I have gone to check up on Jack?"

"I'll let you know." Mark pushed the door open and ran inside. He tossed the grocery bag on the couch and ran straight to Sean's room and found him clutching onto Chica. "Jack!"

Sean's head flew up and he only smiled out of relief. Mark rushed over to the bed. "What happened? You didn't talk to me when you called and I heard Chica through the phone, and Ross told me she was barking for a while. Are you okay?" Mark's eyes scanned for any physical injuries. Much to his relief, he found none. "Why did you call?"

"I..." Sean hesitated. "It was an accident. I wasn't paying attention. Chica had distracted me; she was barking at something outside the window, I think. I couldn't exactly see it, y'know. But whatever it was eventually left."

This answer seemed to satisfy Mark. The comfort of Sean being okay completely blinded him from the fact he found the door unlocked. "Okay, well, don't scare me like that again. I threw your soup in the living room, c'mon, I'll make it for you."

Sean smiled a bit. Mark waited for him to get off the bed and then lead the way out. Behind his back, he couldn't see Sean's smile turn into a deep frown.

* * *

The next day Sean felt a little better. He was able to roll out of bed and get ready just in time to walk to school with Mark. Chica happily lead him down the sidewalk. When Mark started talking about the ending of Firewatch Sean began to zone out. All he could think of was yesterday with Sam. He said that he would make life a living hell... but how? There was a part of Sean's morbid curiosity that couldn't wait to find out -- almost eager to see what would happen. And the other, more logical, part of him knew whatever awaited him would not be good. He both dreaded and eagerly waited for Sam to act.

"Jack, are you okay?"

Sean snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Mark's voice. He smelled the familiar sent of Mr. Morrison's classroom. To him it smelled warm; it was like toffee or freshly-brewed hot chocolate. He didn't realize they had gotten there already. "What? Oh, I'm fine."

"I hope you gentlemen are doing well today," Mr. Morrison greeted with a gentle smile as he walked up to the two. "Oh and who is this? Did you get a new friend?"

Mr. Morrison distracted Sean from his terrible thoughts. He instantly brightened up. "I forgot I haven't seen you since we got her. Her name's Chica. She's my guide dog."

"Aren't you a cutie?" Sean could tell Mr. Morrison was petting her. Like all dogs, Chica loved attention. And Sean could only assume Chica soaked up every second of it.

Mark chuckled a bit. Sean turned his head and grinned broadly at Mark. Obviously Sean couldn't see it or sense it in anyway, but Mark's cheeks held a slight tint of pink. Flustered, he stuttered as he said, "W-well I should get going. Uh, I-I'll see you after class." He gave a slight nod to Mr. Morrison and left as fast as he could without seeming suspicious. He bumped into someone who was coming in. "S-sorry," he apologized quietly.

Upon hearing the reply Sean froze and his smile slowly faded. "Oh, it was my mistake." That calm voice -- scratchy and full of arrogance. Chica growled and Sean lightly tapped her as to not arise suspicion in anyone. He heard Mr. Morrison greet the voice as it sat down next to Sean. "You have a nice dog there, Jack," Sam said with a wide grin.


	10. But if You Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about not updating. I had a really stressful week.

Sean sat stiffly in his seat as Mr. Morrison explained the lesson. Something about logarithms, Sean wasn't paying attention. He was focusing on the body next to him; making sure nothing happened. Well, if I go missing, at least they'll have a math lesson to remember me by, Sean thought to himself. It was almost an attempt to lighten his mood. It didn't work, but he needed some way to calm down. Sam wasn't doing anything. Yet.

Goosebumps ran down Sean's body. The fact that Sam could do anything at any moment certainly wasn't comforting. Sean felt Chica's head rest on his lap. He put his hand on her and stroked her fur. That began to sooth Sean's nerves a bit. He just couldn't help but still be on edge.

Sean eventually began to calm down after about half an hour. Sam hadn't made a move since class started and it would be over soon. Sean exhaled a bit and let his fingers trace over the next problem he was supposed to do. He punched the problem onto his paper and began to solve it. A number here, a plus sign there, this was one of the big reasons to hate math. It was so long and complicated that Sean could hardly keep up when the lessons where being taught. It didn't really help that he couldn't see the steps that were being taken. But he always managed to scrape by.

The numbers stopped flowing smoothly. Sean was stuck on the problem. He ran his fingers over the bumps he made in an attempt to find any mistakes or as if some force would just decide to put the answer under his fingertips. Neither of those came to fruition. He tapped his fingers on the desk and thought about what to do. He hated asking Mr. Morrison because he was new to reading braille. Sean always felt like he bothered him with a heavily labored task. Sean sighed and stood up. There was no other option, really. He told Chica to stay and he made his way over to his professor's desk. If there was anything in his way he knew people would tell him or move it.

When Sean got up to the desk he heard someone say their thanks and walk in another direction. "Hello, Jack," Mr. Morrison said with a smile. "What can I do ya for?"

Sean returned the smile. "Uh, I kinda got stuck on this problem here." He guided his paper to Mr. Morrison's desk. "I don't know what I did wrong."

"Well let's see." Sean heard Mr. Morrison adjust the paper. "You'll have to bear with me a bit."

"I understand."

Sean teetered on his heels while he waited patiently. He turned his head away from Mr. Morrison in order to not make him feel like Sean was staring at him; even though they both knew Sean couldn't see. He just thought it would make his teacher feel more at ease. Mr. Morrison made a hum to show he found the problem. "I see what you did wrong, look," Sean leaned closer to get his hands ready to feel and his ears ready to listen. "You switched these two numbers around. Five is supposed to go right here and twelve-point-two goes there."

Sean created a noise of understanding. "Alright, thanks." He smiled and took his paper from Mr. Morrison.

"Anytime, Jack."

As Sean followed the familiar path to his desk he heard Chica make a noise. It wasn't a bark but a yelp. Sean was temporarily confused as Chica hadn't made a noise like that before. He heard everyone turn to look toward the sound. It then clicked that Sam was left alone with Chica. Sean rushed over to his dog as quickly as he could without tripping over his feet. He put his paper on the desk and knelt down to Chica. The dog trotted over to him, allowing him to feel for anything that might not have been there before. She appeared to be fine.

Sean stood up and clenched his fists. "What did you do to her?" His voice came out louder than he intended it to. A few of the students who had returned to do their work turned back to look at Sean. Somewhere someone got off their chair. It creaked when it was relieved of that person's weight.

"What are you talking about?" Sam sounded offended. Sean could hear he was lying. "I didn't do anything."

"Lying bastard," Sean growled low enough to be heard by only Sam.

The smirk could be heard in his voice as Sam responded coolly, "I would never."

"What's going on here?" It was Mr. Morrison. Sean grimaced. He was hoping that Mr. Morrison wouldn't get involved. "Is there a problem between you two?"

"Just a misunderstanding it seems," Sam's voice was completely under control. It was too cool, too confident. "I accidentally dropped my notebook on this dog here. I didn't mean to, really. I'm sorry about that, Jack."

Sean held his tongue. It was all lies. He never heard a notebook fall. But Mr. Morrison ate it all up. Sam had been convincing to an untrained ear. "Alright," the words that would probably haunt Sean for the rest of his life came from one of his favorite people. "Just don't let that happen again. We don't want anything happening to Jack's dog."

"Of course not." There was a sickening smile.

Sean felt the heat drain from his body starting at his toes as soon as he heard Mr. Morrison leave. Nothing good could come of this. He pulled out his chair and went to sit down but a hand clasped his shoulder. Sean stiffened. "It was a test, y'know?" The voice was right by his ear. That voice that was always laced with the right tone to use. It caused Sean to shudder. "You failed it."

Bags zipped up and notebooks with pencils were put somewhere for safe keeping. Class was over. Mr. Morrison said something about next session but Sean couldn't hear it. All he could hear were Sam's words. He made a big mistake.

Sean made sure Sam left before he himself went to pack up. By then he guessed that the students had already gone and a few lingered to talk to Mr. Morrison as he heard voices still. He grabbed onto Chica's harness tightly and they walked out of the classroom. He had to make sure Mark wouldn't find out this time.


	11. A View to a Crime

Cry definitely wasn't born mute. In fact, when he became mute he was outraged. He lost the thing people had adored most about him. But in some ways it helped him out. He began to convey his feelings better, he could communicate to his friends across the room, and people wouldn't bother him because most assumed he was deaf. There were certain times, even now after a few years, that Cry tried to use his voice. If he got excited or worked up in anyway he would instinctively try to shout. Obviously nothing came out except choked up noises.

So as Cry stood there in shocked horror, his instinct was to scream. Yet that part of him that knew didn't even let him make a sound. He stayed there completely immobile. What was there to do?

When Cry had opened the door to his apartment there was a dead rabbit. It was a white rabbit with its belly split open and its insides staining the carpet. The stench was horrible. Cry wondered how long it had been there and why. He didn't want to go inside, let alone just stare at it with a million questions. But Felix wouldn't come home until almost five that day. There had to be something done.

Cry closed the door and stared at it in perplexed wonder. There was loud laughter echoing down below him. He ran up to the railing and peered over. It was Mark and Sean. He squeaked and immediately ran down the stairs to the floor below. As soon as Mark was about to walk inside, Cry took hold of his arm.

"Huh?" Mark looked at Cry. "What is it, Cry?" It was then that Cry started moving his hands at an incredible speed; a speed that was urgent and obviously being formed by an expert. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. I can't -- Cry! Slow down, man."

Cry's eyes began to water, but he managed to slow down enough for Mark to understand. At that point Sean had joined them with Chica sitting patiently beside him. Mark's eyes widened. "Oh my God."

"What?" Sean felt left out. It sounded important but he couldn't see the story. "What's happening?"

"Cry found a dead rabbit in his apartment."

The three students walked up the stairs to the second floor. Cry opened the door and stepped aside for Mark to see. Sean gagged and covered his mouth and nose while Mark stared at it with wide eyes. "That smells fuckin' awful," Sean's voice came out muffled. "What are we supposed to do with that?" He coughed and turned away from the door. He was determined to not throw up.

"I-I don't know," Mark responded. He had never seen a dead anything before. "We can call the police, right? That's something we can do?"

Cry's hands began moving, " _That seems to be our only option._ "

Mark, being the only one able to speak, brought out his phone. He rubbed Sean's back as he bent over and lost the contents of his stomach. As the operator picked up, Mark looked at Cry to make sure he was okay. He was staring at the rabbit with an intense gaze. He must be terrified. Mark sighed and explained everything to the woman on the line. She asked for an address and apartment number to which Mark responded appropriately. "Thank you. " He returned his phone to his pocket. "They'll be here shortly."

"Oh God," Sean gagged again. "Close the door! I can't take --" His insides cut him off.

Mark continued to rub Sean's back in an attempt to sooth him. Cry gladly closed the door, but he still felt uneasy and the smell didn't go away immediately. He walked over to Mark and Sean. Mark smiled at Cry reassuringly while Sean hacked and coughed. Cry signed his apologies.

"For what?" Mark frowned at the tears streaming down Sean's face. "You haven't done anything wrong, Cry." Cry motioned toward Sean who was sniveling. Mark pat his back. "You're fine, bud. And you didn't cause that, Cry. He just has heightened senses."

"Which fucking sucks," Sean grumbled. He stood up and wiped his face. "That smelled so bad. How long has it been there?"

Cry shrugged.

~~~

The police arrived in no time. Cry showed them the dead animal to which Sean began gagging again. The two police men were visibly shocked and disgusted. They asked if Cry had any enemies or people who disliked him. Mark said that Cry was a nice person and anyone who met him loved him instantly. Sean had to leave because the smell was getting to him again. "I'll meet you down when we're done here," Mark said.

Sean didn't respond for fear of throwing up, instead he just nodded. He headed down the stairs and took a deep, cleansing breath. It smelled better, though death still lingered. Sean leaned against their apartment door. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. There was a voice, "How did your friend enjoy that present?"

Sean refused to believe what he was hearing. Sam couldn't be here. He couldn't. "Y-you did that? You killed a rabbit?" This man was a total psychopath.

Sam laughed. "Did you not realize it? You failed my test. It may not have happened to you directly, but it effected your friend and in turn you. One way to hurt a man is through the things he loves."

Sean's breath hitched. He really was a psycho. What kind of person does this? "Why? What have I ever done to you?"

Sean felt hands on his shoulders. They squeezed him tightly. "I'm just the worst kind of person." Shivers were sent down Sean's spine. Sam's voice was right by his ear. A low chuckle and then there were steps walking away. Sean waited until he thought Sam was gone. He launched himself toward the staircase and ran as fast as he could. "It's Sam!" Sean practically screeched. "Sam did it." He didn't feel he was doing a bad thing by telling the police Sam was still around.

 


	12. Smoke and Robots

Mark stared at the ceiling. There wasn't anything interesting about it, he just had nothing to do. Sean had gone to class with Cry. A part of him wanted to walk them both to school, but he knew they would be alright. At least he hoped. The fact that Sam was around still terrified him to no end. What was even scarier was that no one knew what he looked like; the only one who knew was still missing. Mark could meet Sam on the street and not even know it. At that thought Mark threw his hands over his face and groaned. He slowly slid them off while he exhaled deeply. There was no use laying about. Mark slid off the bed and walked over to his bag. Might as well get some work done.

* * *

"So how did Felix take the news?"

Sean and Cry were packing up. It was a long, hard lesson and they were checked out by the end of it. Cry sighed. After a few moments a robotic-like voice responded, "He is really worried about me. I told him I was fine but he won't believe me until he sees me for himself." Cry was absolutely not in the mood to punch out braille, so he used the text-to-speech on his phone.

Sean nodded solemnly. Mark was worried about Sean when he said that Sam was the one that did it, he could only imagine how Felix must be, considering Cry is more than just his friend. When the two finished packing up, they left the class together (with Chica, of course). "Is Felix coming to get you, then?" Sean tried to ask as cheerfully as he could. It wasn't much, really. Cry hummed his response. "We'll wait here for him, then."

The two trailed over to a bench and sat down. Chica sat down on the ground between them. Sean took a moment to feel the frail breeze and smell the air. And then he sniffed it again. It smelled an awful lot like... "Smoke," Sean whispered under his breath. Cry made an inquiring noise. "Do you smell that, Cry?"

There was a moment of silence before the text-to-speech responded, "Yeah, it smells like a campfire." There was a pause. "But... it smells close, doesn't it?"

That was when there were footsteps running both away and toward the smell, people talking loudly, and someone screaming. "That doesn't sound good," Sean grabbed Chica's harness. "Can you see the smoke, Cry?"

Cry did see the smoke. It was coming from inside the campus. The smoke was white and growing in size. "I think a classroom is on fire."

Sean froze. He tightened his grip on Chica's harness until his knuckles turned white. He heard someone say something in passing. Something he wished was just a mistaken student. They said it was Mr. Morrison's class. "C-Cry," Sean refused to believe it. Mr. Morrison wasn't in there, right? There were no students in there, right? "We have to go see what class it is. We have to. Please."

Cry agreed, albeit because Sean sounded urgent, and the two students hurried toward the fire. From what Sean heard, there was chaos. Professors tried to get students away, there was someone wailing loudly, and Sean's heart dropped when he tuned in to the woman's crying. His hands flew up to his mouth to trap a cry inside. "Ken! Ken, come out! Please!" Mr. Morrison was in there. Cry made a struggled noise and Sean instinctively turned his head toward the sound. "Cry?" He felt something yank the back of his shirt. Since his hands were no longer on Chica's harness, there was nothing stopping Sean from being dragged away by someone. "Chi --!" A hand covered his mouth.

~~~

Mark and Felix walked together. While they laughed, a firetruck zoomed passed them, blaring its horn. The two stared after it with curiosity until they saw and smelled the smoke. The white plumes were turning a deep grey. Mark and Felix looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing. They both took off into a sprint the rest of the way toward campus. When they got there the firefighters were already getting everyone to step away. One of them had to practically carry Mrs. Morrison back. Mark peered around the crowd and spotted a firefighter with Chica. "Chica!" Mark began waving and jumping to get the firefighter's attention. Chica helped by pulling him in the right direction.

Felix looked at Mark with a concerned expression. "Jack wouldn't just leave Chica behind." The firefighter walked up to them and Mark pretended his heart wasn't in his throat. Felix decided to speak for them. "Thank you. You didn't happen to see the student who she belongs to, did you? Blind, a bit shorter than me, fluffy hair. O-or maybe his friend? They're usually together."

The firefighter shook his head. "Sorry, guys. I found her sitting there without anyone by her. We'll keep a look out for them."

Felix thanked the man again as he left. "Holy shit, Mark," Felix hissed. "Where the hell are they? They can't be in the building; Chica's out here." He put his hands on his head. "Oh my God. Oh my God." A string of Swedish curse words and concerns followed after.

Mark couldn't even come up with anything reassuring to say. He was just as scared as Felix was. "I..." Mark looked at Chica. She had no way to know what was going on. "I-I don't know, Felix. I really don't know. I'm so fucking scared. I can only hope nothing bad happened."

Felix looked to Mark and suddenly recognition crossed his face; it was like he figured out something Mark didn't. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"Of course I do! He's my friend, Felix."

Felix smirked a bit. His eyes were filled with sadness because he knew. He knew Mark was in denial. "I know he is, Mark. I know he is." Felix glanced around. "We have to look for them. If Chica's here they can't be far behind. At least I hope." He added that last part under his breath, but Mark heard it. He grabbed onto Chica's harness and prayed to any entity that would hear him.

The two men and Chica walked around the school. They called for their lost friends with every new area they entered. With each growing minute, Mark and Felix became more worried. Where could they be? "Oh God," Mark cried. His legs were shaking from how badly he was scared. "Where are they, Felix? I'm honestly --" Mark was cut off when someone bumped into his shoulder. He glanced back at them. They were wearing a hoodie so it was almost impossible to see who it was. "Dick."

Felix frowned at them. That was awfully shady. He sighed and called out, "Cry! Where are you, man?!" Both students waited for a response. They were about to give up hope when they heard a text-to-speech voice echoing off somewhere. Mark and Felix ran toward it instantly. They weren't ready for the sight that greeted them behind the building.


	13. Blood on the Horizon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you so much for the support. I really appreciate it. Sorry for not updating. The main reason is that I forgot ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Neither Mark nor Felix could believe their eyes; all they could do was stand there, frozen with shock and horror. Was this really them? They looked like they were beaten and left to rot. Which was probably intended. They were both on the ground. Cry had blood spilling out of his mouth and nose. His lip seemed to be split wide open. And when Felix was finally able to move they discovered his fingers had been bruised and broken. Felix began spewing out words in Swedish, a habit he had when he was nervous or scared. While Felix fussed over Cry, Mark let Chica run toward Sean. He -- on the other hand -- still couldn't bring himself to move. Of course Sean is going to look worse than Cry is, Mark tried to reason with himself, Cry has an obvious advantage that Sean doesn't.

Mark gained the courage to move his shaky legs toward his friend. Sean looked up at Mark from his spot on the concrete and smiled as best as he could. One of Sean's eyes was swollen shut and there was an awful lot of blood coming out of his nose. As Mark's eyes trailed further, he caught sight of blood soaking through random spots around Sean's shirt. He nearly stopped breathing when he looked at his friend's leg. There was a pool of blood glistening on his thigh. "J-Jack," Mark couldn't think straight. "Were y-you stabbed?"

Felix's words stopped almost instantly. He looked at Sean and then back to Cry, who looked away. Sean let out a pathetic, raspy laugh. He mumbled something that Felix couldn't hear, but Mark could. It sounded like, "Better me than you." Mark didn't know what that meant. He stored that in the back of his mind to bring it up at a better time. Right now Sean and Cry needed immediate attention. They could be questioned later.

Both Mark and Felix felt the need to take Sean and Cry to the emergency room themselves. So, Felix took off sprinting toward the apartments to get his car while Mark stayed with the two injured students. Chica was sitting obediently beside Sean. Mark couldn't look away from his close friend -- he was just so worried. He was about to ask who attacked them when a name came to mind. But that didn't seem very likely. Even with Sean's disadvantage, two people were more than one. Mark sighed and leaned against the building. The smoke was black now and Mark wondered if it had started to spread. The buildings they were behind were far enough away from Mr. Morrison's class.

Mark wanted so badly to speak, but he also wanted to keep quiet. Yet he managed to will himself to talk despite his other thoughts. Sean always got uneasy when there was silence with people. "I..." but there was nothing to say. Mark bit his lip as he attempted to think of something. Cry couldn't say anything without his hands and Sean's mind seemed to be somewhere else. "You feeling okay, Jack?" Mark finally spoke. "You just..." _Have a lot of blood everywhere but inside you_. Mark couldn't bring himself to say that last part out loud.

Sean seemed to recognize he was somewhere where his brain wasn't. "O-oh. Yeah, I feel fine. Relatively speaking, at least." He gave a half-assed smile then returned to whatever he was thinking about.

Mark frowned. He was thoroughly concerned and Sean was just blowing him off. For some reason it made his blood boil. "You know what, _Sean_ ," both Sean and Cry jumped at the harsh tone. "I'm really scared for you and you don't seem to be taking me seriously. You were fucking stabbed in the leg, for Christ's sake! How can you be so calm?!" Mark's voice began to tremble and his body suddenly felt too heavy for his legs. "I'm so fucking scared, Jack. I'm so scared of everything. Of the fire, f-for you, of Sam. I... I don't even know what he looks like -- I don't even have the advantage of knowing his voice. For all we know, I could've passed him on the street. If I knew what he looked like I would be able to contact the police and say I saw him. Maybe Taurtis would be found. Maybe you and Cry wouldn't be here. Not knowing what I should see scares me." Mark added that last part quietly. But Sean heard him. Sean hears everything.

After ranting, Mark realized that he started crying. He angrily wiped his tears away, then slid down the wall to sit on the ground. He pushed up his glasses to cover his face in an attempt to remain strong. But just willing the tears to stop forming didn't really help. Sean listened to Mark's muffled sobs and felt something break inside him. He planted his hands on the ground and tried to push himself up. It hurt like hell, but he was able to do it. He limped over to Mark and cautiously sat himself down. The wound on his thigh was on fire and he felt a bit light-headed after the whole ordeal.

"Mark," Sean said with lack of breath. "I lived my whole life without seeing. Up until now it wasn't such a big deal. Sure, I kinda always wonder what things look like, but I know I can't ever have that opportunity. But you can, Mark. I may not be able to tell you what Sam looks like, sure, but... I honestly hope to God you never have to meet him. I know the fear of not knowing something is there, Mark. I live it. I just don't let it control my life." Sean sighed. "I'm really sorry about all of this."

Mark took off his glasses and looked at Sean. He never really thought that someone who was born blind could be scared of things without even seeing them. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Jack. I was the one that shouted at you."

Right. He couldn't let Mark know. Especially after this. "It's fine. I wasn't being as considerate as I should have." Sean gave a small smile but it faded slowly. "Is it really hot or is that just me?"

"Hot?" Mark thought about giving a smart ass response, but something told him it wasn't the time. "It's actually kinda cold, Jack. Why do you feel --? Jack!"


	14. Cold Hands

Felix had to help Cry up because of his hands. He really wanted whoever did this to his poor Cry to pay. But that was a wish for another time, it seemed. When Mark scooped up Sean, they all hurried to Felix's car with Chica chasing after them. Felix and Cry sat in the front while Mark and Chica sat with Sean in the back. Cry glanced back at them. Mark was holding onto Sean as tight as he could without hurting him. Both of their faces were pale, but Sean's was from blood loss -- which is exactly why he was unconscious. Cry frowned and made a noise to get Mark's attention. Mark looked up and Cry motioned to his face. Mark put his hand up to his face, but didn't find anything wrong until he noticed his glasses were missing. His world was so blurry from tears that he didn't even notice.

But that wasn't the most important thing at the moment. Sean seemed to get paler by the second and Mark felt completely useless. Sean was practically dying in his arms and all he could do was watch. Cry turned his eyes away from the side mirror when Mark began sobbing.

* * *

Sean felt odd. There was a strange feeling of coldness that slowly spread to warmth. He felt sunlight on his arms and face. There were birds chirping cheerily. Where was this? "So what's your name?" That was Mark. Who was he talking to?

"I'm Sean," Sean heard himself answer. "But I prefer Jack."

Mark chuckled a bit. "Alright, Jack it is. Which apartment is yours?"

Sean remembered this. This is when he met Mark. They had bumped into each other on the sidewalk. To this day neither of them could find out who was to blame. But whoever it was, they deserved a thanks. Their friendship started with a simple accident. Sean felt his fingers gripping a paper. He remembered that he almost tried to give it to Mark to read. "First floor, number seventeen," Sean answered.

"Really?" Mark sounded amazed. "I guess we're living together, then." Sean could hear the smile in his voice. That's when Sean discovered he liked hearing someone's smile. And Mark sounded genuinely happy, well, at least very amused.

"Shouldn't you take me out to dinner first?"

Sean never realized how sarcastic he always was. He felt his lips pull up into a smile at the sound of Mark's laugh. It was really pleasant. Sean remembered he wanted to make Mark laugh as often as he could. But something changed drastically. The birds stopped singing their happy tune and it felt like the sun vanished completely. Mark's laughter turned into quiet whimpers. This wasn't part of any memory Sean knew. What was going on? Then there was another voice. Was that Felix? Sean couldn't make out what he was saying. It sounded way too muffled -- like he was in an underwater tank.

Piece by piece Sean started to feel things. He felt something below him and a thin material over him. His body still felt a bit cold, but it was different from earlier. Sean knew he wasn't fully awake yet which bothered him. He was in that stage of between conscious and unconscious. When he started to hear a steady beep from a monitor, he felt himself fully wake up. He heard everything clearly and smelled odd things. This was a hospital room, Mark was crying beside him, and there were footsteps leaving.

Sean tried to say something. Nothing came out. He tried moving but his body just wasn't listening. Sean began to get frustrated. Mark was crying and all he could do was listen. He heard the heart monitor pick up speed slightly and he felt an odd sense of accomplishment. At least he could make something move.

It sounded like Mark got up from wherever he was sitting. "Jack?" His voice was the quietest Sean had ever heard it. "Are you awake right now?" Sean felt a hand in his. It was warm in all senses of the word. Sean tried to move his hand -- he tried so hard -- but it just wouldn't budge. Mark laughed bitterly which caused an odd jump on the monitor. "I guess not. It's getting close to the end of visiting time hours, buddy. Are you gonna wake up anytime soon?" Mark sighed softly after a moment of no response.

Sean felt Mark's hand beginning to leave his. He had to do something. So he grabbed it. Mark took in a sharp breath and Sean felt instant relief at finally being able to do something. "J-Jack?" Mark's voice wavered. Sean turned his head to Mark and gave a weak smile. "Oh my God, Jack!" Mark squeezed his hand. "I-I thought... I don't know. I was just so scared a-and you passed out and I-I -- holy fuck, you're okay." He started crying again -- but out of happiness this time.

Sean laughed as best as he could and Mark chuckled out of relief. "Where's Chica?" Sean's voice came out rough. Maybe it was because he felt really weak.

"She's right here. Do you want me to leave her with you?"

"If you can." Sean smiled. It was hard to do simple things like that. "But if you miss me too much you might have to take her with you."

Mark scoffed. "Yeah right. I'll be glad to finally have some piece and quiet." The smirk in his voice could be heard. For some odd reason, the heart monitor began to pick up speed again.

Sean gave a shocked gasped. "How dare you. I am a delight."

"A delight to not have around?"

"Dick."

The two started laughing. And, for a moment, everything was right in the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter to give a bit of fluff and feels :)


	15. Forgotten Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love all these comments you guys. Don't be afraid to leave some more ;)

Sean had spent a few days in the hospital to make sure everything was healing well. Cry only had to stay overnight due to his fractured fingers. Three fingers on the left hand, and his thumb and index finger on the right. He had to get a cast for his left,  but only splints for his right. He had a chipped tooth and his split lip looked nearly black because it was healing. Sean had a badly damaged nose (which wasn't actually broken in anyway, miraculously) severe blood loss, and in addition to his terrible black eye, one major stab wound and a few minor cuts. Whoever attacked them clearly meant business.

For the first night and part of the second day, Sean had felt weak. It was to be expected considering he was sent into hypovolemic shock after the loss of adrenaline (not to mention more than a fifth of his blood). So he had to be monitored closely and given a blood transfusion. And it was this reason that the doctor refused to let the police question him. Sean had trouble responding to Mark and the nurses; how could he talk to police? But they did eventually question him on the day of his final stay.

"I'm not sure who attacked us," Sean answered. He had just woke up so he wasn't fully aware yet. "It was two people, I know that. But I think Sam was behind it. He seems to really have it out for me."

Then they left. They thanked both Sean and Mark for the cooperation. Mark had a deep frown the whole time. Since Sean had been in the hospital, Mark tried to visit as often as he could in between classes and work. He did leave Chica, as promised though. When the police had fully exited the room, Mark put his hand in Sean's. It was a habit he started the first night Sean's stay began. Every time he did it, though, Sean's heart monitor would show the lines jumping up and pick up speed slightly. Mark never really thought about that much. "You think we'd know the police by name now," Mark commented.

"I know."

There was a silence in the conversation. The only thing making a sound was Sean's heart beat beeping a bit faster than normal. Mark would have to leave to go to class soon. "Is there a reason you prefer morning classes?" Sean asked honestly.

Mark shrugged, on instinct. Most people might think that after living with Sean for a couple of years, he would learn to stop using visual responses. They would be totally wrong. "I like having most of the day to do other things."

"Like play your nerd games?" Sean smirked as Mark gasped dramatically.

"Yes, of course," Mark responded calmly, making Sean shake his head in amusement. "What else am I supposed to do with my time?"

"You could pay attention to me." Sean lifted up their hands and then set them back down. "It's not like we've been living together for almost three years or anything."

"Nah, I'm sure I have more valuable things to do."

Sean took his hand away and crossed his arms. He pouted at Mark. "I thought you loved me, Mark." Then he pretended to weep.

Mark tried to keep in his laughter. "Jack, I'm afraid I have some news for you." Mark put his hand on Sean's shoulder and sighed -- as if he was about to reveal some heavy information. "I've actually been cheating on you the whole time."

Sean gasped and put a hand on his chest. "Mark! How could you?" He put his face in his hands and acted as if he was crying. "With who?"

"Chica."

Sean took his hands away from his face and gasped again. "I knew I shouldn't have let you convince me to get a dog." There was a small pause before the two erupted into laughter. Sean was glad they were able to joke around, even with the atrocities that trailed after them recently.

"Oh shit," Mark said suddenly. It startled Sean a bit. "I have to go. I'll be back to pick you up after class. Bye, Jack!" He grabbed his bag for school, then left.

Sean frowned slightly. He was to be released from the hospital when he had a ride later in the day -- AKA Mark. So Sean was going to be alone until then. Whenever Sean didn't have a visitor it was boring as all hell. He hoped someone would come to visit him. Even Mark's boss, Suzy, would be great. Suzy loved Sean. She thought of him as a son and even Arin liked him. Though it seemed like he was closer friends to Mark. Sean didn't mind; Mark was a very likable person, after all.

Time passed by rather slowly. It was certainly taking it's sweet, well, time. Sean dropped his hand off the side of the bed to pet Chica. The television was on, but he wasn't paying any attention to it. He was so bored. He couldn't get up with the heart monitor attached to him. "Do you have any ideas, Chica?" Sean asked his dog. There wasn't any verbal response. "Yeah me neither."

"Sean?" It was a woman's voice that Sean didn't recognize. He assumed it was a nurse or some form of staff. "There's a visitor for you. He says he's a close friend of yours, though this is the first time I've seen him."

Sean was curious. He didn't think twice to answer, "You can let him in."

The woman stepped away and someone's footsteps walked up to the bed. Sean felt Chica sit up at attention; which caused him to question who was there. "Hey, Jack," someone said in a voice that was a little too friendly. Upon hearing the voice, the monitor began to pick up speed. Sean tried to grab onto Chica's harness, but it was _just_ out of his reach. If he wanted to grab it properly he would have to stretch. But he didn't want to catch Sam's attention. "How's my favorite play-thing doing?"

"W-what are you doing here?" Sean stuttered. At this point all he had was pure fear for Sam. He was absolutely psychotic, and that was putting it lightly. 

"I came to see how much damage was done to your cute little face." Sean felt a finger poke his nose. Chica did one of those quiet bark-growl things to show she did not like that one bit. "And I can say that I'm satisfied it landed you in the hospital. What did they do? They didn't give me very many details. Though I was there at the time. I was busy shedding light on things to one of your teachers."

Sean choked on his words. He didn't dare say anything. He didn't know what to do -- what was there to do? Sam would be able to see anything Sean would try to act on. Sam was right here, in Sean's hospital room, and he couldn't do a damn thing.

"But I didn't just come here for a pleasant chat." There was a smirk in his voice. "I came here to give you something. I'm sure you'll recognize it." Sam took one of Sean's trembling hands and put something in it. Sean moved his fingers over it. It felt kind of like... Sean had to get his other hand to make sure. He put his fingers on one of the elongated pieces and extended it, and then did the same with the other. They were glasses. Very familiar glasses, at that.

Sean held them in his hands, making sure the lenses weren't on his palms. He was afraid to ask, but he knew he had to -- he had to make sure. "Whose are these?" His voice came out at nearly a whisper. Sean already knew the answer. Yet he heard the heart monitor shoot up as Sam said,

"Mark's."


	16. Lindsay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see if you notice a special guest ;)

The nurses and doctors ran down the hall. After a few days of a healthy heart beat, Sean's heart monitor showed a rapid rate increase in a short span of time. As the nurses barged in, Sam calmly walked out. He nodded at the receptionist, who was looking back worriedly toward Sean's room. When she looked back she saw Sam smirk. She instantly regretted letting him in. She searched through her computer for Sean's information. There was only one person who visited Sean regularly. The receptionist put in the number and hoped he would answer when she heard the tones.

" _Hello?"_

The receptionist nearly sighed from relief. "Hi, is this Mark Fischbach?"

" _Yes it is. Is there a problem?"_

The receptionist glanced back to Sean's room. It seemed that everything was normal now. A few nurses were leaving the room. "Uh, not with Sean. Anymore," she added the last word under her breath. "But I actually have some questions -- important questions. They might help a lot if I knew the answer. Can you come in anytime soon?"

There was a pause. " _I'm in the middle of class right now. How important is this? And who even are you, by the way?"_

"Lindsay Tuggey. I'm the receptionist here. You can stay in class, I know that's important. Just -- as soon as you get out, come here immediately. Please."

Mark agreed and the two hung up. Lindsay pursed her lips. She couldn't just sit here while she had possibly turned herself into a witness by letting that odd man in. She had to check in with Sean to make sure. But it was her job to stay at this desk. "Screw it," she said to herself after a while, and stood up. There were answers to be had somewhere.

When Lindsay walked into the room she saw a doctor and a nurse monitoring Sean. The nurse was talking calmly to Sean while the doctor made sure everything was all right. Lindsay stood at the doorway awkwardly. Should she speak up? This particular doctor was a bit of an asshole. If he saw she was not at her desk, he would throw a fit. But she hoped, with the severe state that Sean was in, that he would actually be considerate. "Excuse me?" The two medical professionals looked up. "Is everything alright in here? I have a few questions to ask Sean."

"Everything is fine, Ms. Tuggey," the doctor snapped. "Just a rapid increase in heart rate due to anxiety. Now what can be so important that you had to leave your post?" The nurse at Sean's side frowned deeply.

Lindsay frowned as well. "I'm afraid that's between me and Sean, doctor." She really hated him. He was brilliant, but he had almost no people skills. "If you don't mind."

The doctor scowled. "Very well. We're just about done here." He put Sean's clipboard of information back in it's respective spot and left the room without another word. But not before he exchanged a mutual hatred glance with Lindsay.

The nurse sighed and shook her head. "I assume you want to be alone with him?" She had a slight accent that was nearly gone from living here for so long, but Lindsay could never seem to tell where it was from. Lindsay nodded. The nurse pat Sean's arm and then walked up to Lindsay. She whispered, "Be careful with him." Then left with a small smile.

Lindsay nodded in understanding. She looked at Sean and tried to figure out how she should approach this. Sean's bruised face was streaked with tears. In fact, he was still crying. He clutched something close to his chest. Lindsay bit her lip and cautiously walked up to Sean. "Hey, Sean," she said quietly.

"You c-can call m-me Jack," Sean responded just as softly. Lindsay knew she had to take this slow. She didn't want to freak him out or anything.

"Right. Jack." Lindsay looked at the dog. She seemed to be looking at Lindsay with a curious pair of eyes. Lindsay returned the look. "Why don't we start by telling me who that man was? I know he wasn't your friend. He seemed a bit... strange, to be honest. I'm not sure why I let him in."

Sean was silent for a moment. "Sam. His name i-is Sam. He did this t-to me and my friend." Sean seemed to hold in a sob. His face changed from a pained expression to one of realization. "W-wait... y-you saw him. You know who he is! F-finally, someone who can g-give a description." He gave Lindsay a shaky smile.

"I'll help in any way I can." Lindsay returned the smile. But it slowly faded from her face. Now it was time for the second phase. "Can you tell me why he was here? If it's personal or something, I get it."

"N-no, it's fine. He, uh," Sean loosened his grip on whatever he was holding. After slight hesitation, he passed it to Lindsay. Lindsay recognized them as glasses. "He gave me those. They aren't mine, obviously."

"Whose are they?" Lindsay examined them. They were nice. The lenses had smudges on them from Sean grasping them so tightly. She refrained herself from cleaning them. That would be a little weird.

"M-my friend's -- Mark."

The name clicked instantly with Lindsay. "Fischbach?" Not once did Mark come in wearing glasses. "Why would Sam have these?"

"I-I don't know." Sean curled his hands around the bed sheet. "And I'm scared. Sam i-is crazy. I don't know what to think about this. I can only assume the worst."

Lindsay looked down at the glasses quizzically. There had to be a reason for this. "But I just called Mark. He didn't sound hurt or anything like that. He was still in class."

Sean loosened his grip on the sheet. "W-what? Still in class? B-but..." He furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why did Sam have his glasses? And why would he give them to me?"

"I asked Mark to come here after class," Lindsay said, still in thought. "We can ask about what he knows when he gets here. Maybe things will make sense when he tells us."

"Yeah..." Sean paused. "Can you clean the glasses, please? If you don't mind."

Lindsay smiled. "Anything to help."

~~~

During Lindsay's lunch break, Mark arrived. She practically dragged him into Sean's room as fast as she could. Sean was happily munching on the lunch Lindsay shared with him when they entered. When Lindsay's lunch break started, she sat in Sean's room. Lindsay gave him half her lunch and they chatted pleasantly while they waited for Mark. "Hey Jack," Mark greeted calmly.

"Mark!" Sean threw his arms out like a child. In one hand he held half a sandwich. "You have no idea what I've been through, you fucking come and give me a hug right now."

Lindsay grinned widely underneath her hand. It was too cute to not smile at. Sean refused to let go of Mark and Mark couldn't help but laugh. "Jack, please, I was told to be here for something important."

"Yeah, me!" Sean let go of Mark. He put the sandwich in his mouth and put his hands on his hips. He said some things that were blocked by the sandwich.

Mark rolled his eyes and looked to Lindsay. "So why am I here? Besides for Jack or something." Sean huffed and crossed his arms at that comment. Mark smirked.

Lindsay explained everything while Sean filled in the blanks of what happened to him. Lindsay pretended to not see Mark slip his hand into Sean's. And she tried to suppress a smile when she noticed Sean's heart monitor show a slight heart rate increase. When the story was over, Lindsay handed Mark's glasses to him. Mark frowned at them. "I lost these. The day after Felix and I took you guys to the hospital, I went back to where I left them, but they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Leave a comment and tell me what you thought :)


	17. Revelation

Sean still kept in touch with Lindsay after everything. She was fun to talk to and he secretly wanted to make sure Sam didn't go after her. After talking with Mark, they contacted the police and Lindsay gave them a description of Sam. They searched the apartment that Sam and Taurtis shared again after learning that Sam was still around. They did find that it was still being occupied, but it was empty when they got there. The police told Sean and Mark that they would have someone watch the apartment to see if Sam ever came back to it. The fact that Sam had been living in the student complexes made Mark uneasy. Sure, he wasn't there now, but he was before. And Mark was oblivious the whole time.

Felix and Cry were unnerved by that, too. But they found the bright side of him living in another complex than them. Mark couldn't see that -- even though it was true. He was simply upset about the whole ordeal.

"It's just frustrating that I had no idea," Mark said as he put his head in his hand. He was having lunch with Felix and Cry outside a cute little restaurant in the town. Sean had an important lecture that he couldn't afford to miss, so he wasn't with them. It gave Mark a chance to vent about their current situation. "In the past few days that the police have been watching, Sam hasn't returned. I think he knows we found out what he looks like."

"How could he know?" Felix put down his beer bottle. "I think you're overreacting a bit, Mark. Maybe he saw the police were investigating the apartment and decided it wasn't a good idea to come back."

Mark frowned. The waitress came by to drop off their food. Mark completely ignored her lingering gaze, though he wasn't oblivious to it. Cry glanced between them. He pursed his lips, but said nothing about what he observed. "You don't understand, Felix. Sam has been following Jack around for who knows how long." Mark played with one of his fries.

"You don't think I know?" Felix hadn't eaten any of his food either. "How many times has Sam attacked Jack with Cry there?"

Cry pouted a bit. He was the only one to actually eat. He thought about bringing out his phone to speak, but reasoned that that wouldn't help much. Felix was getting mad and Mark was obviously focused on his own problems.

"This isn't about Cry, Felix."

"Damn right it isn't," Felix growled. He clenched his fists. "It's about you, right? Because all you can think about is you since this whole thing even started. It's not about you! Would you even care if this had nothing to do with you?"

Mark put down his fry and glared at Felix. "What are you talking about? I know it's not about me. I'm not fucking selfish. You know me, Felix. Don't be ridiculous."

Felix clenched his jaw. Cry put his least injured hand on Felix's arm as an attempt to say that Felix should stop now. But Felix didn't listen. "I'm kinda having a hard time believing that it's still you."

" _Felix Kjellberg!"_

Both Felix and Mark turned toward Cry. He looked livid. He hardly ever called Felix by his real name, let alone his full one. The two other men waited for Cry to finish typing in his rant. " _You're both being childish. Just stop it, it's stupid. Felix, you need to calm down. Mark, you need to stop being so careless. You guys are acting like I'm not even here! Everyone just shut up."_

Everyone at the table was silent. Cry sighed in relief and continued eating. Felix and Mark glanced at each other before deciding they should eat as well. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Felix apologized as Mark was sipping on his lemonade. "There's no need, Felix," Mark said with a smile. "I know I crossed a line."

After that they were able to have a happy conversation. Cry just listened, laughing every once in a while. The waitress returned when they were done eating. She greeted them with a broad smile and offered to take away their plates. Mark pulled out his phone as she turned another direction. He missed the smile she sent his way. He had to see if Sean was out of class already; since it was almost time.

The waitress came back with their bill. Felix grabbed it before anyone else could. Mark rolled his eyes and he noticed that the waitress lingered at the table a bit. When Mark looked at her, she spun around immediately and left. He turned to Felix and Cry when he heard them snickering. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," Felix answered innocently and pretended to be interested in what was on the bill. Cry failed miserably in suppressing his grin. And Felix couldn't help but smile at that.

Mark narrowed his eyes at the two. He was missing something, wasn't he? "Alright, ya weirdos. If you're not gonna stop whatever it is you're doing I'm just gonna go and pick up Jack because I'd rather not be associated with you two."

Cry giggled. "Aw, c'mon, Mark," Felix said with a large grin as he put the bill at the edge of the table. "Don't be like that. Cry and I were just talking about your fan girl over there." He nodded his head at their waitress, who was at another table.

"What about her?" The confused look on Mark's face caused both Felix and Cry to burst into laughter. Mark sighed. "I don't get what you're trying to say."

"Just watch." Felix partially his his smile with his hand. Their waitress was coming back to get the bill and Felix wanted Mark to see what they were talking about.

The waitress thanked them as she grabbed the bill. She went to give a smile to Mark, but when she noticed he was looking at her, her smile faltered and her face flushed. She hurried away without a second glance. Mark looked at Felix and Cry. They looked very amused. "So what?" Mark leaned back in his chair. "She just smiled."

"Are you in love with someone or something?" Felix blurted out. Cry smacked him with a leftover spoon since he couldn't use his hand. "Ow! I'm sorry, but it's necessary. The Mark we know usually makes remarks at girls staring at him and jokes around with us if a girl smiles a little friendlier than she should. This Mark hasn't even acknowledged her."

At that sentence the waitress walked up to their table. She set down the holder for the receipt and Felix's card. Mark looked up at her, and this time -- instead of blushing or running away -- she winked. Mark's face twisted into disbelief. He grabbed the holder before Felix could. There was a note written on a napkin with the name of the waitress and her phone number, along with the phrase 'call me' followed by a winky face. Mark's nose scrunched up. Usually girls trying to hit on him amused him, but for some reason now he didn't find any fun in it. "I think Jack's out of class now." Mark tossed the napkin on the table and practically sprinted through the little gate to leave.

Felix tried to call him back, but it didn't work. He exchanged a confused look with Cry and grabbed the napkin Mark abandoned on the table. Upon reading the words, Felix grinned. He turned if for Cry to see. "I think we have our answer, don't we?"


	18. The Drunk Irishman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter is longer than usual ones. And it deals a bit with alcohol abuse.

Mark hurried down the sidewalk. He felt a strange need to get far away from that restaurant and the waitress. Sean was out of class already and Mark told him to stay in the room until he got there. Anything to keep Sean safe at this point. He would admit that he was a bit paranoid since the whole incident that sent Sean and Cry to the hospital. So you would not believe Mark's terror when he found out Sean wasn't in the classroom. But that quickly changed to confusion when the professor said that class ended nearly an hour ago. Why would Sean say that it barely ended, then? Mark ran home without hesitation. He opened the door and nearly walked back out at the smell.

Mark closed the door behind him begrudgingly. It smelled like alcohol was soaking through the carpet. When he heard a familiar sound of Sean vomiting, Mark switched from being disgusted into being angry. He began walking to the bathroom, seeing the kitchen on the way. There were empty beer bottles scattered along the table. Chica sat staring at the closed bathroom door. Mark turned the handle, but found it locked. That caused him to get angrier. He pounded on the door. "Sean William McLoughlin, you open this fucking door right now or I swear to God I'll kick your ass."

"Stay," Mark snapped at Chica when he heard Sean move around. Chica obeyed as the door opened. Sean stood behind it, looking worn-down. That didn't make Mark sympathetic in any way. He pushed the door open, nearly knocking Sean over, and then closed it behind him. There was a beer bottle in here with him. All the self restraint that Mark had shattered in that instant. "What the fuck, Sean?! You fucking lie to me and then drink God knows how many bottles? What the fuck were you even thinking? I was joking about the drinking problem, y'know. I-I don't... I just..." Mark took in a deep breath. "Why would you do this to yourself? To me?"

Sean didn't say anything. He opened his mouth, but then closed it shortly after. Mark waited impatiently for a response. "I-I," Sean stuttered. But instead he just burst into tears. Mark was taken aback slightly by this, but he refused to let that break his anger. "I-I don't know, M-Mark. I-I just --" Sean gagged and then found himself hunched over the toilet.

Mark cursed under his breath. He couldn't stay mad at Sean when he was like this. "It's okay, buddy," Mark said softly. He rubbed circles into Sean's back. "You'll be better in the morning."

"I-I'm s-so sorry --" Sean couldn't get the rest of his sentence out.

"It's okay, Jack, really." Mark began feeling bad for yelling earlier. He didn't mean to, he was just angry. "You can tell me everything you want tomorrow. Don't try to tell me right now. At least tomorrow is the weekend, right?"

They spent a good portion of time just sitting on the bathroom floor. It smelled like cheap booze and vomit, but Mark didn't care much. He tried to make Sean feel better while he periodically threw up all the alcohol he drank. Eventually, Sean did stop throwing up. Mark helped him onto his shaky legs and made sure he cleaned his face. He practically had to hold Sean up at this point. Chica trailed after them as they made their way to Sean's room. "You're gonna have to change; you have beer and vomit all over you," Mark said as he set Sean down on his bed.

Sean stared at him dumbly, as if he didn't register what Mark said. He then threw his arms up. "Change me!"

Mark's jaw fell. Did that just happen? "J-Jack, I'm not gonna change you." He shifted uncomfortably. "You're a big boy. You can do that yourself."

"I'm smaller than you aren't I?"

Mark scoffed. "I bet you're smaller than me," he mumbled. He said loud enough for Sean to hear, "That has nothing to do with this. You're an... okay, you don't really act like an adult, but you are legally one. So start strippin'."

Sean giggled. "You want me to strip for you, Markimoo?" He fell back on his bed, laughing.

Mark sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can see the alcohol is still in your system," he muttered to himself. He looked at Sean and couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Get up, you drunk leprechaun."

Sean squealed with laughter at that comment. Mark groaned and grabbed Sean's wrists. He pulled the drunk student into a sitting position. "Are you gonna get dressed or am I going to actually have to change you?" All he got in response was a giggle and a dopey smile. "I fucking hate you." Mark grabbed Sean's pajamas from off the floor. All it was was an over-sized shirt. "This is all you sleep in?" It was a comment mainly for Mark's self, but of course, drunk Sean had to answer.

"Why? You wanna see me in less?"

Mark almost walked out of the room then. He was _that_ close to being done with Sean's shit. "Shut up and lift up your arms." He threw the pajama shirt beside Sean. He tried to take of the shirt Sean was currently wearing without getting any vomit or alcohol on him. It was a success, mostly. If Sean would stop staring at Mark with that lopsided grin plastered on his face, Mark might have actually felt accomplished. But then he realized something a little too late. Sean was wearing jeans. "Uh, Jack? D'you mind unbuttoning your pants... and stuff?"

"Why?" Sean's head tilted slightly. If it wasn't for the situation he was in, Mark might have thought that Sean looked completely innocent. The illusion shattered almost as soon as it was thought up. "Are you not man enough to do it yourself?"

"I'm fucking leaving."

"Fine, ya big baby. Come back, I'll do it." Sean undid his pants, but whined that Mark had to take them off. When Mark asked why (in an outrageous tone) Sean replied, "It's just so much work. Since you're here might as well have you do it."

Mark groaned. "Whatever. Stand up, you fuck." Sean did as he was told. Mark hesitated before he slid of Sean's jeans. "Sit back down." Again, Sean obeyed. Mark pulled the pants off Sean's feet and tossed them with the dirty shirt. He would pick them up later. He looked at Sean and then glanced away immediately. Something about seeing Sean in only his underwear made Mark uncomfortable. "L-lift up your arms." Mark slid the pajama shirt over Sean's arms and then through his head. "There. Now go the fuck to sleep." He made sure that Sean laid down and then turned to leave.

"Wait," Sean said. He grabbed Mark's arm before he could go.

Mark stopped and looked down at Sean. Once again, Mark saw how innocent Sean could have been. He was wrapped in his blankets and his cheeks were rosy from the alcohol. Mark blinked in an attempt to get the illusion to go away. "What is it?"

"C-can..." Sean paused. He looked hesitant to say what he wanted to. Mark wondered if he was going to make a genuine request this time. "Can you read me a bed time story?"

"I fucking hate you."

* * *

When Sean woke up the next morning he had a splitting headache. He cursed himself for even thinking that alcohol was a good idea. As he stretched while laying on the bed, he heard someone snoring softly. Everything that happened last night suddenly came crashing down all too fast. "Oh my God," Sean whispered to himself. He made Mark undress him and then read him fairy tales. The poor man fell asleep in that uncomfortable desk chair. Sean sat up slowly and set his feet on the ground. He leaned toward the sound of Mark and shook his knee. "Mark. Mark, wake up."

"Wh-wha?" Sean heard Mark yawn. He also heard several bones pop as Mark stretched. "Oh God, my everything. Why the fuck did I sleep in this chair? Shit, I don't think I'll be able to feel my butt ever again."

Sean grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about last night. I was kinda a lot drunk."

"Yeah..." Mark paused for some reason. He screamed suddenly, "Does this hurt your head?!"

Sean winced and covered his ears. "Yes!" He winced again at finding that yelling back hurt, too. "Don't do that."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Should I keep it down for you, princess?!" Mark continued to yell as loud as he could. He didn't even care that other people could possibly hear him. This was just petty revenge.

"Okay, I get it." Sean fell over toward his pillow. His head couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry. If you want me to explain last night, you could at least be a little nice to me. I'll let you get revenge on me later. Just please stop."

Sean grimaced as he heard the smile in Mark's voice, "Okie dokie. I'll go get you some aspirin." Then he left Sean alone with his pounding head.

After everything was dealt with, Sean was ready to tell his tale. Mark was sitting on the bed next to him because he refused to sit on the chair again. Sean took in a deep breath before speaking. With Mark so close to him, he felt a little unnerved. "I just wanna say I'm sorry, before anything else," Sean started quietly. "I know it's not so easy to forgive -- you don't even have to -- I just want to let you know that I apologize. But I did it because I was so tired of feeling scared. It's been days since I left the hospital and I can't help but think about what put me there. I feel like I'm to blame about what happened to Cry and M-Mr. Morrison. If I wasn't around this wouldn't have happened. If I wasn't so... _flawed_ then everything would be fine."

"You're not flawed," Mark cut in. He grabbed both of Sean's hands. This time there wasn't a heart monitor to show how Sean felt. "You're you because of how you deal with being 'flawed'. You wouldn't be Jack without flaws. Hell, I don't even think we would be friends if you weren't blind. We both know it was your fault that you ran into me on the sidewalk that day." Mark said that with a sweet smile.

For some reason, Sean felt tears prickle at his useless eyes. He took his hands away from Mark and threw his arms around him. He assumed Mark was surprised by the action because the other man took a while to respond. Sean began sobbing and spewing out apologies about last night and anything else he could think of. Mark just held him with a faint smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think :D


	19. Vanish

Sean and Mark decided to just hang out inside today. The days were getting hot due to summer approaching and any chance to stay inside the two took. After a couple of hours, Sean's headache finally went away. He was currently sprawled on the couch with his legs over Mark's lap. Sean was listening to whatever was on TV while Mark was actually being productive and studying. About an hour later, Sean heard a book fall on the floor. "I'm bored." Mark pushed Sean's legs off and stood up. "Let's do something."

"Like what?" Sean put his legs back up on the couch. If Mark was suggesting something that involved moving in any way he wasn't doing it. It was much too comfortable laying down.

Mark hummed in thought for a moment. "We should play a game."

"A what?" Sean propped himself up on his elbow. "Why? What kind of game? Do I have to get up? I'm not doing anything if I have to get up."

Mark scoffed. "Lazy ass." Sean heard him walk down the hall toward their rooms. "A video game," Mark called from his room, most likely. As if he could sense Sean's doubt, he responded, "Trust me, it'll be great."

Sean frowned. He waited for Mark to return by falling back down on the couch. Whatever Mark was up to, he hoped it wasn't anything stupid. "Alright sit up," Mark said when he came back. Sean reluctantly did as he was told. There was a dip in the couch as Mark sat down. "I'm gonna put some headphones on you, okay? Just tell me if it's too loud." Sean's ears were enveloped by the headphones. They made an odd noise as they brushed against his skin. Suddenly, eerie music flooded into Sean's ears. "Is that too loud?"

Mark sounded a bit distant and muffled. "No," Sean felt like he spoke louder than usual. "It's fine the way it is."

"Great." Sean couldn't tell if Mark was smiling or not. "Just be my ears for me, got it?"

"Uh... sure."

The music changed suddenly and then it was quiet. All that could be heard was someone breathing rather heavily. Sean could hear footsteps echoing between what sounded like very close walls. The silence was making Sean a little uncomfortable. "Where are we?" He asked.

"Sewer," Mark answered, slightly distracted. "It's where the game takes place. You have to wander hallways while avoiding this monster. I've played this countless times and haven't beaten it."

"Sounds pleasant." Sean jumped suddenly when he heard glass break. "Jesus. What was that?" The person's breathing changed.

"Nothing to worry about. Did you get scared?"

Sean laughed nervously. "You wish. What the fuck is that?" There was something zapping and buzzing. A noise came in one headphone and then left through the other one. "Oh God what's happening?"

"You getting scared, buddy? We're just crawling through a hole. We can stop if you want --"

"I'm fine." There was dirt falling. The zapping came back. Did they go back the other way? Sean couldn't tell, but the echoing footsteps continued. They walked around for a bit -- Mark decided to run a few times -- until Mark yelled and Sean jumped. There was a weird noise playing through the headphones. While Sean assumed they were running away, he heard glass break, causing him to jump again. Eventually the noise stopped. Sean was going to ask what happened, but there was a strange growling sound. "What the fuck is that? Oh God, run. Run."

While running, a pipe busted and steam shot out. Sean let out a little squeak and grabbed onto Mark's arm. It sounded like Mark laughed. Both men screamed suddenly. Mark saw the monster while Sean heard the encounter. Their character grunted and something snapped. "Did we just die?" Sean asked after a moment.

"Yep." Mark lifted the headphones off Sean. "So how was that? You wanna do it again?"

"What else you got?"

The two spent the rest of the day playing horror games. Sean continued being the ears while Mark was the rest of the body. They played anything from Five Nights at Freddy's to Slender. Sean finally got an idea of why his friends enjoyed playing games so much. Maybe he could play with Mark again sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my best chapter, but eh. It's more of a filler anyway.


	20. The New Guy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very talented Wattpad user by the name of @Aurica_Kosza made the wonderful cover you see below :)

Sean wasn't sure what ever happened to Mr. Morrison. He returned to school too late to hear any rumors and he didn't want to ask anyone for information. But he hoped he was alright. If anything ever happened to Mr. Morrison Sean wouldn't be able to forgive himself. But for now, Mr. Morrison's class was being held in another room with another teacher called Mr. Ash. He was a young British professor straight out of school that Sean didn't like very much. He wasn't sure what exact reason caused him to hate Mr. Ash. Maybe it was because of the way he held himself, or maybe it was because he was a little too friendly with Mark, whatever the reason Sean; just didn't like the guy.

When class was over, Sean began to put his stuff away. He heard someone walk up behind him. For a split second; he thought it was Sam, but he knew better. "Hey, Jack," Mark greeted with a friendly smile. "You ready to go?"

Sean stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Before he could say anything, someone interrupted him. An annoying someone, at that. "Ah, Mr. Fischbach, very nice to see you again," Mr. Ash addressed the student.

"Oh, yeah," Mark sounded surprised. "You too."

Sean frowned as Mr. Ash tried to continue the conversation. This man had no right to talk to Mark -- he wasn't even a student of his! Mark was only doing the polite thing, and responding to him. Right...? Sean frowned further. "Mark, we should really get going -- you have class in a few minutes." Sean didn't mean to raise his voice in anger. "You don't want to be late, do you?"

"O-oh, right," Mark stuttered. Sean clenched his jaw at the reaction. "Bye, Mr. Ash. We'll see you next week."

"I look forward to it."

Sean pretended he cared for a second and said a farewell to his professor. He almost had the urge to take Chica and run home. Yet he walked calmly with Mark as if Mr. Ash's very presence didn't bother him. Sean took in a calming breath and smiled, but it soon cracked. "Oh no..." He whispered and halted in his steps. "I forgot something in class."

Mark stopped walking as well. "What is it? I'll go get it for you."

"My stylus." Sean couldn't believe how careless he was. He just wanted to get out of class as soon as possible. "But you don't have to get it, I can. You can start heading to class and I'll --"

"Sean McLoughlin, I honestly can't trust you alone anymore," Mark was using that mom voice of his. "So I'll walk you home, go get it, bring it back to you, then go to class. I might be a minute late, but that's fine. C'mon, Jack."

Sean tried his best to protest, but it was to no avail. Mark was a determined mother as usual. Sean sighed in exasperation as Mark left to go get the forgotten stylus. "Do you think Mark likes Mr. Ash, Chica?" There was no response. "Yeah, me too." He sat down at the couch and turned on the TV to whatever Mark happened to be watching last. Sean only ever went near a TV or listened to a movie just to humor everyone else. He didn't have much interest because he couldn't experience it like other people could. He also found those voice over things annoying, so that wasn't an option. But on occasion, Sean did use the TV as background noise.

Eventually Mark came back (he was out a little too long for Sean's liking). Sean took a sip of water and held out his free hand in the direction of Mark. "Thanks, pal," Sean's voice was slightly laced with sarcasm and annoyance when Mark put the stylus in his hand. He hoped Mark didn't notice, but Mark didn't say anything. Sean sensed something was off with his friend. "You okay there?"

Mark was silent for a moment. "Y-yeah," he sounded unsure. "I just, uh, I just... Something kinda happened..." He paused -- almost hesitated. "I think Mr. Ash asked me out."

* * *

"On a date!" Sean practically screeched. He didn't care that the students in the class turned to him, he needed to express his dislike. "I can't fucking believe it! I-I just don't get it. I hate Mr. Ash so much." Sean slammed his fist on the table.

Cry sighed softly. It was almost as if he was disappointed. But with who -- Sean couldn't tell. After a few moments, the text-to-speech said, " _Is he actually going on the date? Did he accept it?"_

"I don't know." Sean put his head down on the table. "I was too shocked at the time to ask any of those questions. I really fucking hope he doesn't go, though."

" _Why?"_

Sean froze. Why _didn't_ he want Mark to go? It was because he hated Mr. Ash, right? But why did he hate Mr. Ash? Well, because he... Sean took in a sharp breath -- as if he hurt himself. "I-I..." He lifted his head and turned toward Cry. "I think..." He stopped himself. No. No, it wasn't like that. Mark was simply his friend. Mr. Ash was just super cocky, and that's the only reason Sean hated him -- the only reason Sean let himself believe. "I just care about Mark a lot. I don't want him to get hurt because some teacher couldn't help himself."

Cry hummed. " _Ask if he's going on that date. There's a chance he turned him down, right? There's no reason to get worked up over nothing. Smiley face._ "

Sean laughed at that added touch. He appreciated it. "I'll ask after class, then. You're probably right; I'm sure I'm just overreacting about it." Sean wasn't sure if he believed that, but he tried to. He hoped and prayed with all his might that Mark turned down Mr. Ash's offer. But deep down, he knew Mark hadn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay and the short chapters! I was having some problems which then effected my writing, but it's all settled now. I hoped you enjoyed this one. Let me know what you think :D


	21. The Final Push

Cry noticed something off with Sean as the days progressed into weeks. Three weeks exactly -- almost a month. Sean only ever stated his problems vaguely. He said things like he was only tired or that he was stressed because of the finals coming up. But Cry knew that wasn't it. He didn't know Sean for as long as Mark, but he knew him long enough to tell that he was lying. Whenever Sean smiled, it wasn't genuine. It was never broad like it always was. Cry finally confronted Sean Saturday morning.

The two were in the apartment Cry shared with Felix. For what ever reason, Sean refused to meet in his own apartment. Only Cry's right hand was completely healed, so he used that to type his question as quickly as he could, " _What's up with you, Jack? No one is here but me, so don't lie. All I want to do is help you._ "

Sean looked tired. It was as if he hadn't slept well in months. He turned toward Chica and stroked her fur. "It's nothing, Cry, really." He bit his lip. "I-I'm just stupid, that's all."

" _I'm sure you're not being stupid,_ " Cry frowned. It sounded like Sean was going to cry. " _Honestly, what's wrong? You haven't been yourself in weeks. I'm worried about you -- Pewds is worried about you. I'm sure Mark is worried as well."_

At that point Sean burst into tears. Cry was taken aback by this: he had never seen Sean cry. Sean turned to Cry and Cry couldn't help but notice how genuinely hurt Sean looked. "M-Mark doesn't fu-ucking care about m-me. We had a f-fight a couple weeks ago and we-we've hardly talked since."

Cry had several questions he wanted to ask, but he decided to ask the easiest one. " _What was your fight about?"_ He scooted closer to Sean and rubbed his back as an attempt to comfort him.

"A-about Mr. A-Ash," Sean sobbed. "M-Mark had went o-out with him the first time he a-asked, and he ju-ust kept going until it seemed like e-every night he was out. It was such a s-sudden change. One minute h-he doesn't want me to be alone, the n-next he's out doing God-knows-what for hours. I-I confronted him about it, but it just lead to this h-huge argument. He said he really l-liked Mr. Ash -- _Aaron,_ as he calls him -- and th-that I should just mind my own business. And that... that fucking hurt. I-I don't know why, but it hurt really f-fucking hurt."

Cry pulled Sean into a hug as he cried harder. Cry hoped Felix would get back soon. He wasn't the best at giving out advice. He looked at Chica and frowned in thought. Felix and Cry were really convinced that Mark liked Sean. It seemed like all the evidence was there. This Mr. Ash guy had no right to ask out Mark. Cry pursed his lips and brought up his phone to text Felix to hurry the hell up. " _I'm sure everything will work out in the end. Trust me about this, okay? Pewds and I will help you out_."

Sean spent a good portion of the day in Cry and Felix's apartment. It was the happiest he had felt in a while. The couple tried cheering him up and reassuring him that Mark would come around. Felix tried his hardest to not outright say that Sean was absolutely in love with Mark. Cry hit Felix's shoulder with his good hand when he even vaguely hinted to it.

* * *

Mark paced about the living room. It was getting dark and Sean wasn't home. He tried to convince himself that everything was fine -- that there was no reason to worry -- but he felt the need to be concerned. The door clicked then pushed open slowly. Sean entered with Chica and then shut and locked the door after. "Where were you?" Mark didn't intend to shout.

Sean jumped in surprise. "I was out." He answered nonchalantly. "Is that a problem? The last time I checked I didn't live with my mum."

Mark tried not to sound offended as he said, "Yeah, it is a problem. You were out for a long time without telling me anything. Where did you even go?"

"I was with Cry and Felix," Sean looked annoyed. "In their apartment. You seemed a little busy at the time." He tried to walk toward his room, but Mark stepped in front of him. "Do you mind?" He tried to move around.

"I do mind, actually." Mark blocked Sean's way again. He noticed Sean getting even more ticked off. "With all the things that happened, you have to tell me when you leave and where you're going."

Sean actually looked offended. " _Excuse me_?" His voice rose in pitch. "I'm sensing a double standard here."

"What are you talking about?"

Sean dropped his voice low to mimic Mark, "'Oh, bye; Jack, see you later.' 'Hey, Jack, I'll be back later.' 'I'm gonna leave, now, Jack.' 'Bye, Jack.'" Mark could tell Sean was beginning to get angry. " _You_ never tell me where you're going or how long you'll be out. I used to stay up just to wait for you, but you never came home until after I was asleep. How can you expect me to do what you don't?"

Mark stared at Sean for a moment. He looked so angry. "That's not the same thing." Mark wasn't expecting Sean to act this way. He thought that maybe Sean would be understanding to the situation. "You're..." Mark trailed off.

"I'm what?"

Mark hesitated. "I-I'm not --"

"What am I, Mark?!"

"Different!" Mark screamed. "You're different, Jack! I have to worry about you because you can't see. People can take advantage of you. Someone is purposely trying to hurt you. I can do what I want, but you can't. You just can't, Jack."

Sean's face fell. He mumbled something under his breath that Mark couldn't make out. But Sean wiped his face of expressions and stated clearly, "Get out of my way, Mark. I'd like to go to my room, if that's okay with you, Mother." He tried to get passed.

Mark straightened up. "You're not going anywhere." He got in Sean's way again. "We haven't resolved this issue."

"Mark," Sean growled. "Get out of my fucking way." He tried to push pass Mark.

Mark instinctively shoved Sean back. Sean lost his balance and fell before he could grab hold of Chica. The two froze in shock. Mark stood with wide eyes; he had never done anything like that to Sean before. He wanted to say something -- apologize -- but his voice was caught in his throat. _He just pushed Sean to the ground_. How could he do that? Sean lifted himself up and Mark stepped away -- as if he was scared. "I think I'm gonna head to bed, now," Sean's voice came out at nearly a whisper. And Mark didn't stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only time I've ever heard Cry refer to Pewds as Felix was in that Guns of Icarus video. My little fan girl self at the time screamed on the inside from the PewDieCry. Anyway, let me know what you think!


	22. Bittersweet

Mark stared at his plate with concern and guilt. At the moment, Mark was with Mr. Ash in the man's apartment. He didn't tell Sean he was going out -- he couldn't bring himself to -- not after what happened. Mark had tried to apologize, but found himself stopped at the door. The most heartbreaking sound was coming from the other side of it: Sean crying. His heart felt heavy and he instantly wished to take everything back. But he couldn't -- the damage was done. Sean was alone right now all because Mark was an arrogant dick.

"You okay there, Mark?"

Sean's crying faded out of Mark's mind. He looked up to see the wrong face. "I'm fine," Mark's answer came out in a distracted tone. He put his fork to his plate and played with his food rather than eating it; he wasn't hungry anyway.

A frown tugged at Mr. Ash's lips. "You sure? Something seems off." His accent was all wrong. That wasn't the one Mark wanted to hear.

"I'm fine, really," Mark sighed in exasperation. "I'm just worried. I might've messed up big time." He ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't stop thinking about Sean. Maybe he shouldn't be here, maybe he should be with Sean instead. Why was he here? Nothing was right. "I think I should go back and apologize." Mark stood up, but Mr. Ash leaned over the table and grabbed his arm.

"Wait." Mark glanced at the hand grasping him tightly, then up to Mr. Ash's pleading face. "It can't be that important, can it? Can't you at least wait until after dinner?"

Mark's skin crawled. Something about that innocent sentence seemed quite the opposite. He broke his arm away from Mr. Ash. "I can't." He tried to walk toward the door as fast as he could without seeming suspicious. Mark stood at the doorway; he turned his head and said, "Goodbye, Mr. Ash." Then left without another word. He began running the three blocks back to his apartment.

~~~

Mark breathlessly burst through the front door. His legs were weak, and he could hardly breath, but he ran to Sean's room. He barged in saying, "Jack, I'm so --" But he cut himself off. Sean wasn't there. Mark spun around and searched the apartment. Chica wasn't anywhere to be seen, either. "Jack?" Mark called out as if Sean was somehow hiding. Mark began to panic. He pulled out his phone to call Sean, but received no answer. Mark launched himself toward the door and left the apartment. There was only one place he could think of where Sean could be.

Mark's feet bounded up the stairs to the second floor. He practically ran into the door of the apartment he needed. He pounded his fist on the door until Cry opened it to peek out. Cry widened it just enough for Mark to see his pissed off face. "Is... Jack here?" Mark managed to get out his question between gulps of air.

Cry signed something with his good hand that Mark didn't recognize, which could only mean it was a swear. Mark stood there with shaking legs and fuzzy vision as he waited for Cry to finish typing. " _Leave, Mark. Sean doesn't want to see you. I_ _don't even want to see you."_

"Cry, please," Mark had to grip the doorway to stand up straight. "I-I just..."

" _What? Are you going to insult me, too?"_

Mark felt a pang of guilt stab his chest. "I-I didn't mean... I just -- I just..." There was someone whispering to Cry. Cry nodded. He shot one last dirty look to Mark then moved out of the doorway. To Mark's disappointment, it was Felix. Felix closed the door behind him. Mark had to lean against the rail to keep standing.

Felix took in a calming breath and turned to Mark. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Felix's voice exploded with anger. Mark stepped back into the railing. "Why would you do a stupid thing like that? Sean was fucking crying over you, you know that, right? You broke his heart, and then you go out on a fucking _date_? Is this some kind of game to you?" Felix was in Mark's face at this point. He was absolutely livid; something Mark never knew was possible.

Mark refused to have his legs give out. "I wanted to apologize --" Felix didn't let him finish.

"Oh, you _wanted_ to." Felix rolled his eyes. "Then why _didn't_ you? Sean is fully convinced you want nothing to do with him. You're still his friend, aren't you? Do you even want to be that, at least? Because I was fully convinced that you wanted to be more."

Mark's knees buckled beneath him; he let himself drop to the floor. He stared at the cement, blinking tears away. "Are you okay, Mark?" Felix's voice came out more calm than it was previously. Mark looked up to see concern on his friend's face. This made the tears escape Mark's eyes. The fact that Felix was able to be so kind, even after Mark was a total prick to their friend, made him feel so much guilt.

"I ran nonstop from Mr. Ash's apartment to here. I can't feel my legs anymore and I think I might pass out."

Felix sighed. He helped Mark up and practically carried him through the front door. Cry and Sean were in the living room. Sean was curled up on one end of the couch. Cry's eyes widened when he saw Mark with Felix. Felix held up a finger to stop Cry from questioning anything. He set Mark down on the opposite side of the couch than Sean and left to go get a water. Mark smiled weakly at Cry. Cry looked rather indifferent to the situation. Mark turned his head to see Sean, and then wished he hadn't.

Sean looked like a complete mess. His nose was pink and his eyes were puffy -- like he had been crying for a very long time. As if he could tell Mark was there, he pressed himself against the couch to get farther away. Mark shook away his blurry vision and took the water bottle Felix handed him. Cry and Felix looked at each other. It was as if they were having a silent conversation. Felix and Cry then turned their attention to the two broken souls in front of them. "We're gonna have you two work this out."

" _Alone._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like if I end it next chapter, I'll be leaving it with a bunch of loose ends. What do you guys think? I kinda don't want it to end. But all good things must come to an end, sadly. But let me know if it should end next chapter or not. Also what you think about this chapter. Thanks ;)


	23. Something Wicked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments last chapter! Now, of course since the Wattpad version is ahead of this one, this chapter was already written when I updated yesterday. But I just wanted to see what you guys had to say about the story :D I typically leave my comments on here if they don't specifically apply to Wattpad.

Mark shifted uncomfortably in the couch. Felix and Cry left the apartment in order for Mark and Sean to work things out. As much as Mark hated himself for what happened, he didn't know how to start. Sean was being distant both literally and figuratively, so he wasn't exactly any help. "I'm sorry," Mark said quietly. Might as well start with the basics. "I was a jerk and I didn't mean to do anything to you. I'm sorry, Jack. I really am."

Sean said nothing. Mark looked at him and frowned. This wasn't the Sean Mark was used to. Sean was always smiling or laughing. Instead he looked miserable and defeated. Mark racked his brain for something to say. Anything to fill the silence. "Do you hate me?" His voice was barely audible. 

"Of course I don't," Sean answered in a similar tone. It was odd to hear his voice so silent. "How can I possibly hate you?"

"I can write out a list if you want." Mark was serious. "What isn't there to hate? I basically abandoned you every night, I barely talked to you, I-I pushed you down... You have every right to hate me. So why don't you?" Mark's voice rose to it's normal volume, possibly a little louder. He wanted Sean to hate him -- he deserved it.

Sean rubbed Chica's head. "I just don't see a reason to."

"I made you cry," Mark practically shouted, voice cracking. "I was a fucking idiot. I never paid attention to how you felt, I never even noticed. God, I'm so stupid..." He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his palms to them.

"It's okay --"

"No it's not! I treated you like trash for a month and when you tried to speak out about it I started a fucking argument with you. I wish I could take it back. All I want to do is take it back." Mark ignored how is voice broke. He didn't care. He just wanted Sean to be okay.

Sean was silent for a moment. His voice was too quiet when he asked, "Do you hate yourself?"

"Of course I do." Mark pulled his hands away. His eyes were red from holding in tears and pressing his hands against his face. "I was stupid and did things I shouldn't have. I hurt you. I'm not supposed to do that."

"You shouldn't hate yourself." That was all Sean said.

That was all either of them said until Cry and Felix came home. The couple gazed at the two on their couch in dismay. Their friendship was certainly not patched up, and didn't seem like it was going to be. Felix and Cry watched wordlessly as Mark left with a silent goodbye and thank you. Sean remained quiet the rest of the night. And he would be for the days to come.

* * *

Sean stayed with Cry and Felix for a week. During that week there was a constant gloom in the apartment and awkward silence. For once, Sean didn't mind. The police even came one day to tell them they stopped monitoring the area. Sam was clearly not returning and there was no point to waste their time. But they reassured them that they would not stop searching and to call immediately if Sam showed up again. Sean had nearly forgotten about Sam. Rather surprising considering the stab wound that caused him to limp.

He then began to wonder if Sam would start his rampage again now that the police were gone. What else could he possibly do to Sean? He had nearly put Mr. Morrison in his grave, he hindered Sean's walking as well as Cry's ability to speak, and even shattered the most precious thing Sean had. There couldn't possibly be anything else Sam could do other than kill him. And at this point Sean would welcome any death Sam had planned. He was a total mess without Mark.

Mark wasn't doing any better. He only left the apartment to go to class and he didn't showed up for work. Marzia tried calling several times out of concern for her friend, but he never answered. Then Suzy called for work related reasons, but he still didn't answer. Arin downright banged on his door with Suzy by his side. To no one's surprise, Mark didn't answer. Ross, Holly, Cry, Felix, Mr. Ash, whoever it was, Mark paid no attention to them. He ignored everyone. He didn't sleep, he hardly ate, he barely even took showers. He was a total mess without Sean.

The following week things got much worse.

Sean was hardly ever in the apartment anymore. Neither Cry nor Felix knew where he went or what he did. They just hoped it wasn't anything illegal or life-threatening. Mark stopped eating all together. He barely even had the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. Yet he did anyway. There was no way he was missing his classes, depressed or not. Their friends knew they had to do something, but they didn't know what could be done. How can you fix something that's been shattered?

One night, Sean left the apartment as usual. Cry, who was the only other person home at the time, could only wonder when he would be returning. Sean walked down the stairs with Chica in tow. He knew he would be walking for a while, but he would get there on time. He had been going there nearly every night since he stayed with Cry and Felix. Eventually, he made it to his desired destination. Right on time. He checked in with the receptionist, which wasn't Lindsay tonight, and then head down a familiar hall.

This was Mr. Morrison's hospital room. He had apparently been in a coma and only woke up last week. Sean then found out from Mrs. Morrison that Mr. Morrison had several third-degree burns all over his body. In the two weeks that Sean had been visiting, he became rather close to Mrs. Morrison. He learned that she was born in Australia and she had always wanted to teach since she was a little girl. She was also genuinely interested in Sean. She asked him several questions about how he did certain things, always apologizing if she felt the question was too personal. Sean didn't mind. He liked talking with her.

Sean also became closer to Mr. Morrison. There was something about not being in a school setting that caused their friendship to suddenly bloom. Sean told Mr. and Mrs. Morrison about being in the hospital himself, skipping the parts about who did it and how it was possibly linked with the fire. Mrs. Morrison was outraged that two students could be assaulted on campus — two disabled students at that. Mr. Morrison was disgusted with the knowledge, but Sean felt as if his teacher knew he was hiding the true story. He ignored the feeling and carried on with the conversation.

Time droned on and then Sean had to leave if he wanted to get home before too late. He said goodbye to the Morrisons and went on his way. It wasn't that late in the night, only nine-thirty. He would most likely get there around ten if he walked fast enough. But something about tonight was different from the other nights. Tonight felt eerie. Sean noticed that Chica began growling which made his skin crawl. "Well, I thought I'd never see you again, Jackaboy."

Sean became paralyzed. A voice was behind him. It was that rough voice. He flinched when Sam clasped his shoulders and spun him around. "Y'know it's rude to not face someone you're talking to." Sean could hear a smile. "How've you been? Did you really think I'd leave you alone? Be honest with me here, I really wanna to know."

Sean didn't say anything. His mind was flooded with panic and fear. All he could think about was running away. But he knew Sam would catch up to him. Sean wasn't a very fast runner, and with the wound in his thigh, he wouldn't get very far.

"Cat got your tongue, pal?" Sam's smile widened. "That's alright. I can tell you how _I've_ been, since I already know what you've been up to. Oh, don't look so scared. Did you really think I'd leave you alone while I was gone? I have eyes everywhere, Jack. You know one of them, in fact."

Sean felt himself tremble. He had never been this scared before; he was completely alone this time. There was no Mark a phone call away, no Cry with comforting words, not even Lindsay with her eagerness to help. Sean was trapped.

"I take your silence as confusion. Who is this person, you might be wondering, well I'll tell you." Sam paused. Sean could only assume for a dramatic effect. "Does the name Aaron Ash ring a bell?"

"M-Mr. Ash?" Sean's voice shook. Not only out of fright, but out of anger as well. That son of a bitch was working with Sam?

"I believe he took the place of your beloved teacher, yes? Well, he owed me. It was just a happy coincidence that he was right where I needed him to be -- in direct contact with you. I wasn't sure at the time how to get back at you for giving my description to the police. But then Aaron started blabbing on about your boy toy and how handsome he was or whatever. So then I deiced to give Aaron the little _push_ that he needed. Lo and behold, I ruined your friendship in under a month. Amazing, isn't it?"

Sean couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mr. Ash only asked Mark out because Sam said so? So once again Sam was the source of all Sean's problems. "You...?"

"Of course me." There was that sickening smile Sean was getting tired of hearing. "I couldn't just let you go that easily. Now, when I discovered the state you two were in it was a pleasant surprise. But that's not enough for me, I'm afraid." He leaned closer to Sean as he said in a low voice, "I aim to ruin your life in anyway I possibly can."

Sean stepped back.

"And that's not the only thing." Sam stepped forward. "One of your friends has been keeping close tabs on you for me. His name was... Felix, wasn't it?"

Sean found himself unable to move once again. No, Sam was lying. Felix wouldn't do anything like that. "Y-you... you..."

"Is that all you can say?" Sam chuckled darkly. "He didn't give any information away willingly, of course. It took some...  _persuasion._  You may be familiar with my ways --" Chica began barking suddenly. Sean instantly felt relieved that she was able to see his hidden hand signal. He heard Sam's shoes scrape on the sidewalk, possibly beginning his retreat. "You brought this on yourself, Jack." Then Sean could only assume he left after that.

"S-stop it, Chica. Everything's fine now." Chica stopped barking. Sean only wished the simple expression applied to him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, it's not the final chapter. I've decided to extend it. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve ;)


	24. Pity Party

"I fucking love penises, man."

Mark's solution to a broken friendship and a low income of money was, of course, to get absolutely hammered. Like any sensible depressed adult, he bought all the liquor he could carry and called up Bob and Wade to play whatever game they could get their hands on. At the moment, Mark and Wade were plastered with Bob not-so-eagerly catching up to them. Any worries Mark carried instantly vanished after the first bottle was empty. They were playing _Minecraft_ , much to Bob's dismay.

Bob was the only one with enough sense to realize Mark was only drinking his problems away. But his friend was clearly having nothing to do with whatever it was, as he had already started drinking when he called them up. So Bob decided to humor Mark and play along. "Are dicks just always on your mind?" Bob asked. Que laughter from Mark and Wade. Bob rolled his eyes and laughed along.

"I think about dicks more than you'd believe," Mark said between fits of giggles. "They're, like, my favorite thing."

"I wouldn't doubt that," Wade chuckled. He took another sip of his drink. "Hey, have you seen Jack's penis yet?"

Bob nearly choked and Mark spit out the contents in his mouth. "Oh God! It got all over my monitor!" Mark searched around for something to wipe off the screen with. He had to go to the kitchen to grab some paper towels. "And no, Wade, I haven't had any desires to... see Jack's penis." He mumbled that last part as he returned his headphones to his head.

"Oh, come on," Wade said in a rather provoking voice. "Isn't he your man-crush or something?" His character moved to the penis Mark was making and added some pink wool while Mark was out of commission. "You can't say you've never wanted to see it."

Mark felt his face become hot, and it wasn't because of the alcohol. "I... N-no! I-I don't -- I mean, I've never -- he's too... I'm not..." Wade and Bob laughed at Mark's flustered reaction, which only caused him to become even more embarrassed. "I-I'm not sure if Jack is into that." Mark's hand instantly flew up to his mouth.

"So you're into it?" Bob questioned. "We're all friends here, you can be honest." Wade giggled along with him.

Mark tossed the soaked paper towels to the side. He wanted to forget about Sean, not be questioned if he ever wanted to see him naked. "I'm not." Mark wasn't sure if that was a lie or not. "Can we finish building this penis? I wanna hurry up and regret tonight tomorrow morning."

The three joked around and drank constantly. Bob and Wade occasionally made fun of Mark for his penis addiction, with Mark denying the accusations. After a particularly long laugh session settled down, Mark heard something not in game. He strained to hear, but couldn't tell what it was with the noise Bob and Wade were still making. "Hey, can you guys be quiet for a second? I'm being serious here, Wade." The other two settled down out of confusion and curiosity. Mark took one side of his headphones off and listened. That was Chica barking. Before Mark could wonder why, she stopped. "I'll... I'll be right back, guys."

Mark took off his headphones while Bob and Wade questioned him. He strained his ears, but Chica was truly silent now. He glanced at his computer screen. Bob and Wade's characters had stopped moving. They were probably trying to figure out what just happened. Mark stood up from his desk and left his room. He carefully navigated the dark apartment to the front door.

Outside was cool and refreshing -- almost calming. Mark looked around, but found no Chica. He stood there for a moment, wondering if his drunken state caused him to hear things, until he noticed someone walking down the sidewalk. He stepped out the doorway toward the person. "Jack?"

Sean practically ran toward Mark and threw his arms around him. Mark was taken by surprise and nearly fell over. "What's going on?" Mark asked. "I kinda thought you wouldn't want to see me again."

"I -- have you been drinking?" Sean took a step back. "You smell like _Monster_ and beer. Why would you even combine those things together?"

"It was all I had," Mark took on a slight defensive tone. "But what's with you? People don't usually take nightly walks."

Sean hesitated for a moment. "I-I ran into Sam again." He fiddled with the bottom of his shirt. "Believe it or not I feel safer now that you're around." He smiled a bit. "M-maybe we can continue this tomorrow? It's late and I don't want to make Cry or Felix worry --"

"Why not stay with me again?" That was possibly the alcohol talking for Mark. The past few days made him desperate for Sean's attention again. "I'll let Cry and Felix know. You said it yourself: I make you feel safe."

Sean pursed his lips.

"I don't mind, really. It was kinda lonely without you around." Now that was definitely the alcohol. He reached out and grabbed Sean's hand. "Please stay."

Sean hesitated. "O-okay."

Mark grinned broadly and dragged Sean inside. "I was playing with Bob and Wade, so give me a moment," Mark said as he walked off to his room, leaving Sean alone in the living room. "Hey, I'm back guys." Mark was greeted with Bob and Wade's voices colliding with one another. "Sorry. Something came up. Listen, I gotta go now, Jack came home. I'll explain everything tomorrow. Love ya!" Mark ended the call and shut everything down. He walked back to the living room and sat down next to Sean on the couch.

"Uh, I let Felix and Cry know where I am," Sean said awkwardly. Mark noticed he looked very fidgety, but in his drunken state he couldn't connect the dots quite clearly. In his mind, Sean looked like he needed a hug. So that's what he did. He put his arms around Sean and pulled him close. "M-Mark! W-what...?" Mark rest his head on Sean's shoulder. He could feel Sean's face heating up.

"I really missed you, Jack," Mark mumbled. Mark wasn't clearly registering Sean's shaking body. "It was too quiet."

Sean didn't say anything for a moment. "M-maybe I should head to bed." Mark threw his legs around Sean's waist as he started standing up. "Mark!" At the sound of his name, Mark pulled Sean closer to him. Sean struggled to pry himself off, but it didn't appear to be working. "Jesus, how much did you have to drink?" He gave up and just let himself rest against Mark's chest.

Mark laughed. "I don't even know."


	25. Carousel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I could reply to all the comments, I would.

Mark opened his eyes and then shut them right after. The sun was streaming directly on his face. There was a slight pounding in his head from how much he drank last night; he couldn't remember for the life of him how much he actually drank. For some reason, one of his arms felt numb. He moved his fingers and it sent tingles down to his shoulder. Something felt off about the position he was in. This didn't feel like a bed. And _boy_ did his neck hurt. Mark shot his eyes open when he recalled what happened last night. He was making giant wool penises with Bob and Wade, then he went out because Chica was barking, then... Mark gazed at Sean sleeping on his chest. Their legs were tangled together, Mark's arm was behind his head and the other was around Sean's waist, and Sean had both his arms wrapped around Mark.

Mark took both his arms and stretched as best as he could without moving too much. As the blood flow returned back to normal, it began to spread to his face. How could he get out of this? Sean was fast asleep and holding onto Mark tightly. There was no way Mark could leave before it got awkward. He cursed under his breath and searched the room helplessly. Sean stirred. "I can't feel my hands," he murmured in a voice that wasn't quite awake. He wiggled his arms out from under Mark, shifted around a bit, and then went back to sleep. Mark covered his face with his hands and threw his head back. He wanted to scream. There was no way a person could be so cute and aggravating at the same time.

Then, by some heavenly force, Mark's phone began to ring. Mark recognized it as the Skype ringtone. It must have been Bob and/or Wade calling about last night. When Sean groaned and began moving, Mark took the advantage to escape. He had to pull himself over the armrest for convenience, but that then landed him on the floor. He scrambled over to his phone (which was on the kitchen table) and answered it just in time. "Hey, guys," Mark tried to act as nonchalant as possible. "'sup?"

It was Bob and Wade as he predicted. Bob spoke first, "Mark, we -- are you on the floor?"

Mark tried to act surprised. "I'm what?" He put his hand to his head and glanced around. His head was on the tile of the kitchen floor while his body was in the living room. "Well, it appears that I am. Funny." He laughed nervously, but hesitated to sit up. Sean was in the living room and Mark didn't really want to open that can of worms yet. "I don't question _your_ life, Bob." He glanced over to the couch as Bob continued talking.

"Whatever, man. You owe us an explanation."

"Uh-huh." Mark wasn't totally focused on the conversation. He was watching Sean carefully. The other man was barely sitting up and stretching. Mark needed his headphones before Bob or Wade blurted out something stupid. So, logically, Mark began inching across the floor while trying not to seem suspicious to either Bob and Wade or Sean. "Yeah. I'm working on that."

"Working on it?" Wade sounded skeptical. "You lived it, so shouldn't you know how to tell us?"

"Oh, yeah, totally." Once Mark reached the hallway he jumped up and sprinted toward his room. He plugged in his headphones and continued calmly, "So as I was saying..." Mark explained everything that happened to him and Sean during the past few months. All the details and all the mistakes leading up to last night. "Then we apparently fell asleep on the couch. Which was terrible because my neck is super stiff now."

After a moment of silence, Wade asked, "So did you see his penis?"

"Oh my God, Wade!"

Mark put his head down on his desk as Bob burst out laughing. He held a pleasant conversation with them, as all friends do to lighten the mood, until he decided he was ready to face Sean. Bob and Wade wished him luck on fixing his friendship, then the call ended. Mark sat there for a moment. He took in a deep breath and left his room. 

Sean was sitting on the couch. The TV was showing some random movie. Mark stood there, wondering how he should start. "You don't usually drink," Sean commented. He turned his head toward Mark. For a second, Mark felt exposed. "Is there something I missed?"

Mark couldn't make any words. He wanted to tell Sean how empty he felt -- how helpless. How only now did he feel his stomach growl and his eyes strain. But he couldn't. His mouth just wouldn't move. "I heard Cry and Felix talking one night," Sean said after he realized Mark wasn't going to speak. "They said you weren't answering them. Felix ran into Marzia once and that's when they found out you weren't going to work. So what happened to you?"

Mark tried to say something. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, so he closed it. He squeezed his eyes shut. "I fucked up, okay? All I do is fuck up. I ruined my friendship with you, I-I couldn't protect you -- not even from myself. I haven't had a good nights sleep in days. Last night was the longest I slept since you left. I haven't eaten anything in a while, either. I barely had the energy to go to class. I-I... I just..." Mark balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw. He wouldn't cry -- shouldn't. There was no reason for him to. Out of the two of them, Sean deserved to cry. At least in Mark's opinion. According to Mark, Sean was the one who went through all the pain.

Sean thought differently. Sean knew they were both in pain, but Mark was suffering for it. He was torturing himself and Sean needed to stop it. Sean stood up and walked toward Mark. He put one hand over Mark's fist. "You had no reason to be mad at yourself," he said softly. "It's not your fault. I'm not mad at you, I never was. There's no reason to be. We're still friends, Mark." Sean's mouth felt sour at saying they were friends. After everything that's happened, he finally realized something. He loved Mark.

Mark uncurled his fist and moved his fingers in between Sean's — right where they should be. He threw his other arm over Sean's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. But something about it didn't feel right with Sean. He just couldn't tell what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not exactly sure how this one went. I feel like I could've written it better, but for some reason I couldn't get what I wanted out of it. Oh well. But yay Jack realizes his love for Mark! It only took 24 chapters to get half the ship there ;) Anyway, let me know what you think!


	26. Thin Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating. If you can come up with a better title for this chapter I'll give you a high-five.

Sean hardly felt safe anymore. He was back with Mark and their friendship was slowly patching itself, but all Sean felt was fear. It had only been a few days since Sam made his debut. Sean had thought about talking to the police, but even that made him afraid. Sam was clearly not happy about Lindsay giving away his face. Sean even called Lindsay as soon as he could just to make sure she was okay. She was fine and reassured him that Sam had not contacted her in any way. 

Sean was still mulling over whether or not to confront Felix about his dealings with Sam. He didn't tell Mark because he knew his friend would break down the door to Cry and Felix's apartment and demand answers. But eventually, Sean decided to ask Felix face-to-face one day. Sean requested that Felix meet him outside his class. Felix agreed and soon the two were seated at a nearby bench. "What's up?" Felix asked casually. He was so calm compared to Sean. "We hardly meet without Mark or Cry."

"I guess you're right." Sean tried to remain composed. He had been jittery and fidgety lately. He knew Mark noticed the sudden change. If Mark made any loud noises, Sean would always jump. He was constantly on edge. "But I have something rather important to talk about with you."

"Really? What is it?"

Sean hesitated for a moment. Was this something that was a good idea to do? Would he hurt Felix in the process due to a deal that was made with Sam? Would Mark get hurt because of Sean's own deal with Sam? There was no way to tell for sure, and it was too late to back out now. "I met with Sam the night I moved back in with Mark. He told me... some things."

He heard Felix sigh, but he couldn't decipher what it meant. "I didn't mean to. I was walking back to the apartment one day and he came up to me saying he needed to talk. I tried to decline, but he insisted. He told me that I needed to tell him anything that happened to you. I didn't want to -- I didn't even know who he was -- but he said that if I didn't he would make sure that the only time I'd get to see Cry was in a morgue." Felix paused for a moment. "Y-you're not mad at me are you? You understand, right?"

"Of course I do," Sean said silently. "I had the same choice." _I just fucked it all up._

~~~

Sean barely got through the door when he heard Mark scream. It caused him to freeze, a million possibilities to running through his mind, but there was no cause for alarm. He heard Mark shout, "Wade that's not funny!" and assumed he was playing video games. Sean let out a sigh of relief. He really needed to calm down. He face-planted on the couch and groaned into the cushions. When did his life become such a mess? Only a few months ago was he laughing with Mark or talking with Cry. Now he was afraid to be in contact with anyone. All it took was one student to turn his life upside down.

Sam was just flat out terrifying. He was out to get Sean for one reason or another, and Sean hadn't done anything wrong. Taurtis had said that Sam's change was sudden and unlike him. So what caused him to change? The only person who could provide any form of an answer was missing -- possibly dead. Sean didn't know if the police had stopped searching for Taurtis. Did they stop searching for Sam? Sam never seemed to be caught whenever he was around. He was able to talk to Felix and Sean without so much as a suspicion. Sam was a mystery that no one had a solution to. If he had connections with Mr. Ash, could he possibly have connections in other places? Was there anybody else Sean knew that was in cahoots with Sam? "Fuck. Now I'm becoming paranoid," Sean said into the cushions.

"You're becoming what now?"

Sean nearly fell off the couch. He turned his head off the cushions. "Jesus, Mark. Don't do that." Sean flipped over. "I was just talking to myself. I thought you were playing games with your friends?"

Mark pat Sean's legs and Sean moved them. "Bob left about an hour ago and Wade kept scaring me, so I decided to call it quits for today. Well, until I go over to play with Cry and Felix." Sean could hear a warm smile. He really missed that. It took longer than he liked for Mark to smile genuinely again.

Since Sean's return, Mark started returning to his former self. He began eating again and going to bed at normal hours (though that took a while due to him being so used to sleeping at the break of dawn, practically). Sean couldn't see for himself the effects of Mark's actions, but he could assume it wasn't pleasant. "Can Cry even play with only one hand?" Sean asked.

"Not very well," Mark chuckled a bit. "He usually watches. He's pretty grumpy about it, actually. But we all have fun either way." He paused, as if considering something. "Hey, Jack, would you like to come? It'll be fun."

Sean was surprised by the offer. He never went due to the fact that he can't play video games. Or see. "Uh, I dunno. That doesn't really seem like a good idea. I mean, I can't --"

"You can just listen," Mark cut off Sean. He seemed eager to have Sean join them. "I'm sure Felix and Cry would love to have you around. We haven't all hung out in a while."

Sean rubbed his neck. One of the reasons he didn't want to go was because of the talk he had with Felix earlier. They both knew of the other's secret now. "I-I don't want to." He felt himself begin to tremble. "I-I --"

"Jack," Mark's voice came out pleading. " _Please?_ I really want you to be there. We can just -- you're shaking." He had put his hand on Sean's knee. Sean could hear the sudden change in Mark's voice from begging to worry. "What's wrong?"

Sean jerked his legs away and sat up. "Nothing. I just don't wanna go."

"Alright," Mark sounded unconvinced. "I won't force you to come. Just be safe, got it? If anything happens call me immediately." He got off the couch and Sean heard footsteps walking to the hall -- to his room, most likely.

Once he was sure Mark was gone, Sean threw his head back and sighed. He reached for Chica and tried to take calming breaths. There was nothing to get worked up about. Felix understands. Felix understands. Felix understands. Sean kept repeating that to himself in an attempt to remain calm. Brushing out Chica's fur with his fingers made him feel a bit better.

After a while, he could have sworn he heard Mark say something to him. Was that him saying he was leaving? His voice wasn't entering Sean's ears very clearly. He couldn't tell if he was dreaming. "Jack?" That came out clear. Mark was practically whispering into Sean's ear. Sean moved his head as an instinct to get away from the sudden assault on his ear. Other than that he didn't move or speak. He didn't have control of his body; it seemed like only his mind was awake. Mark let out a soft chuckle that caused goosebumps to run down Sean's back. "Sleep well, Jack." Sean felt a pair of lips on his forehead and then move away shortly after. The door opened and closed, signaling Mark had gone.

Sean felt a smile spread across his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again, guys. I have been so busy (not to mention stressed) and had an odd writer's block for this. Hopefully it's not obvious in the chapter. Let me know what you think! It's not the best, I know. But hopefully you were able to enjoy it. :)


	27. Guess Who

Sean had nothing to do. Mark was pretty much his only source of entertainment. He began wondering if he should have actually joined them all upstairs. But the thought of Felix caused him to feel uneasy. Felix was a friend, he knew that, but his paranoia with Sam made him suspicious and afraid. "You don't think Felix is bad, do you, Chica?" As always, Sean got no response. "Yeah, I know. I'm just being irrational. But it's to be expected, right? I'm not being rude am I?" Sean sighed. "Maybe this whole thing will blow over soon. I don't like feeling this way, Chica."

Chica was simply an excuse for Sean to think out loud without feeling weird. She was a great dog. There was no other dog Sean could possibly want. Chica put her head on Sean's lap and he smiled slightly. He rubbed her head. "I can't believe I got you because of Sam. Always look on the bright side of things, right?" He laughed a bit. At least part of him wasn't consumed by anxiety and fear.

There was nothing to pass the time with other than listen to the television. Sean chose the show by randomly clicking buttons on the remote until he heard something interesting. Right now he happened to be watching _Supernatural._ He only knew because a commercial said so. There was something about a trickster, repeating days, and Asia. It was pretty interesting. Sean tried to see if he could imagine faces of the main characters based on the faces he's felt in his life time. He's felt more people's faces than he would like to admit. Mostly during his childhood by messing with his friends and exaggerating his blindness.

It was pretty uneventful. His memory wasn't the best, but he still attempted to see what he could do. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang. It wasn't from the TV. It sounded very real, and very close -- like front door close. Sean sat in surprised silence before getting up to investigate. He felt for the doorknob, then cracked open the door. There wasn't any other sounds besides nature being peaceful. Sean opened the door wider and something bumped into his head. He put his hand up to whatever it was and ran his fingers along it. There was a cold material with a slight curve attached to a smooth, sleek steel. A knife. At the edge of the blade was a paper. Sean was surprised to find there was braille written on it. This must be specifically for him.

Sean pulled the knife out of the door, and went inside with the note. He set the knife down on the couch beside him. His fingers grazed the bumps; his heart beat quickened. He ran over it several times, but the message stayed the same.

_Guess who's next?_   
_-Sam_

The paper left Sean's shaky hands. He didn't have to think very hard in order to understand. He knew who was next -- it was too obvious. If Sam wanted a reaction before the actual act went through, then that meant the next person was important to Sean. Incredibly important. Extremely important. Beyond any word that was apart of Sean's vocabulary.

Sean felt his chest tighten. His throat burned, but he refused to cry. Yet he couldn't control how badly he was shaking and how hard it was getting to breath. All he could think of was Mark. What would Sam do? Sean imagined Mark covered in blood, a flat line, body parts, more blood, Sam, a missing persons poster, a funeral. "F-fuck," Sean struggled to even utter that word. His whole body was trembling. Is this what true fear was? "Ch-Chica..." Sean held onto Chica as best as he could. His chest hurt and it felt like his lungs couldn't hold any air. He began sobbing, which only made him feel like he was suffocating. His phone wasn't any where near him

* * *

Mark yelled in frustration as Felix won another round of Mario Kart. He nearly got second, but Cry swooped in from behind and stole his glory. Felix laughed while Cry gave a cheeky smile. Mark pouted and dropped his controller onto his lap. He crossed his arms. He looked like a child throwing a temper-tantrum. "You guys are mean," he whined. "I don't wanna play with you anymore."

"Aw, c'mon, Mark," Felix said, in good spirits. He ruffled Mark's hair. Since Mark was sitting on the floor while Felix and Cry were on the couch, it was easy for Felix to do so. "Maybe you'll do better next time. But we all know I'm just too good."

Mark turned his head and gave Felix a look of exaggerated disgust. "Fight me, Mark," Felix said in response. He leaned closer to Mark's face. "I dare ya."

Without any hesitation, Mark stuck his tongue out and licked Felix's nose. Felix squealed and drew back. He rubbed his nose while Mark laughed and Cry made his version of it. Felix scrunched his nose, but found himself unable to not join the laughter. Mark leaned his head back on the cushions of the couch, a broad smile on his face. He suddenly wished that Sean was there. His smile shrunk slightly and he hoped no one was paying attention. "I wished Jack could've joined us," Mark stated his thoughts out loud.

Felix and Cry glanced at each other without Mark noticing. "Why not invite him some other time? Summer's coming up, you know?" Felix suggested. "I'm sure he'd join us then." Cry rolled his eyes and shook his head. Felix recognized those signs. Cry had a plan and Felix needed to play along. "Or invite him somewhere else?" Cry grinned. Felix winked.

"Where else?" Mark was interested. He wanted Sean to be involved in the fun. Lately he was rather closed off from everyone.

Felix and Cry exchanged another glance. "Uh, like..." Felix tried to come up with something to say that wasn't directly hinting at a date. "Somewhere to eat. After class. He wouldn't say no to that, would he?"

"I guess not." Mark lifted his head. Felix and Cry silently high-fived behind his back. Mark turned so he could talk to his friends better. "But are you guys gonna come too?"

Cry answered before Felix could even think of a response. " _Oh, no,_ " Cry typed as fast as he could. " _I'm sure Jack has had enough of us. He stayed with us for a while, remember? I think he needs more time to spend with you — get to know you again._ " Felix tried to hide how proud he was at his boyfriend's sneakiness.

Mark seemed to buy it. "Alright." He thought for a moment. "Is next week a good time? What day?"

"Friday," Felix answered almost instantly. Cry nodded in agreement. "Where are you gonna take him?"

"I'm not sure yet. I still gave time." Mark smiled at the two. The two smiled back, but because of how devious they were being. "I'll figure it out by then."

Mark turned back around. Felix and Cry silently showed their excitement to one another. They knew they had to get Mark to realize his feelings before Friday. If all went well, then Friday would turn into a date rather than a friendly get-together. And they would make sure Mark was prepared for that. Sean would be completely swept off his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up very late writing this and the next chapter. I was unfortunately heavily inspired at 11 at night and didn't stop until nearly 2. As of right now, the next chapter isn't finished yet. I'm super stressed and swamped with work. I hope you can forgive the lack of updates. But let me know what you think of this chapter! :)


	28. Confrontation

Mark left Cry and Felix's apartment shortly after. They played one last round of Mario Kart, then Mark decided to quit after Felix won again. They were all in high spirits. Mark hummed a happy tune has he opened the door to the apartment. His hum stopped mid note as he saw the scene before him. Sean was sobbing uncontrollably while clutching onto Chica. Mark stood there dumbfounded for longer than he probably should have, then rushed to Sean's side. "Jack!" Mark cursed himself for shouting. He was just so shocked and worried. He pried Sean away from Chica. Sean was shaking violently and sobs racked his body. Mark scooped him up and hurried to his room as fast as he could.

He sat down on the bed, still holding Sean. He just felt so fragile in Mark's arms. "It's okay," Mark made sure his voice was softer this time. "I'm here, Jack. You should have called me. I-I mean — fuck — just breath." Mark noticed Sean began panicking more when he mentioned that. He cursed himself again, but remained under control. "It's fine. _You're_ fine. Just calm down. _Breathe_ , Jack. Take deep breaths." Mark began rubbing Sean's arm soothingly. It took a lot longer than the first time, but Sean's trembling eventually diminished into nothing. His crying stopped, but the tears still stained his face. Mark began to say something, but it fell dead once it reached his lips. Sean was asleep. The poor guy must have been in a lot of distress. Mark frowned. He didn't even know what happened, but he felt like he made it worse by his slip-ups. But at least Sean was okay now.

Mark considered leaving the room to let Sean rest, but he was concerned. What if Sean woke up in a panic? What if he did something he'll regret? No -- Mark had to stay. He moved both of them as best as he could into a laying down position. Once they were situated he let himself relax a bit. He glanced at Chica, who had made herself comfortable in her bed. He smiled slightly.

~~~

Mark opened his eyes when he felt movement. He wasn't asleep -- he hadn't slept -- but his eyelids were heavy. Sean mumbled something under his breath, then sat up slowly. "Good morning," Mark hoped he didn't sound tired. He saw Sean jump slightly. "How did you sleep?"

"M-Mark?" Sean was surprised. "Why are you...? What time is it?"

"It's about to be eight," Mark answered after looking at his phone. "You slept for a while. How're you feeling?"

Sean yawned. "I'm fine." He paused. "I guess you wanna know what happened." He rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Only if you're up to it." Mark frowned. He didn't like Sean being this way. Sean was always happy and loud, not whatever this new Sean was. This Sean was reserved and hardly spoke above a whisper. "I won't force you or anything."

"You should follow me, then." Sean lifted himself out of bed. He turned his head expectantly at Mark. Mark didn't move for a moment; he was pondering. But he didn't want to make Sean wait, so he got up.

They traveled to the living room with Chica following curiously at their heels. Sean walked over to the couch and that's when Mark noticed the knife on one of the cushions. It immediately alarmed him, but there was nothing on it. It was clean -- almost new. Sean handed him a note written in braille. Mark didn't know braille; though he tried to learn it once. "It's from Sam," Sean seemed to read Mark's mind. "I'm guessing he had someone stab it to the door." He motioned in the general direction of the knife.

Mark ran his fingers along the paper. He recognized a few letters, but not enough to make out the whole message. Sean looked uneasy. "Why not call the police?"

"No!"

Mark's eyes widened. That was the loudest he heard Sean in a while. "Jeez. I'm sorry." Mark found himself taking personal offence for some reason. But that was silly. Sean had every reason to call the police; yet Mark found himself saying, "I won't bring it up again."

"Good," Sean returned to a mumble. He snatched the note out of Mark's hand, causing Mark to frown.

"What does it say?" Mark caught Sean before he could walk away. Sean froze in place. He turned his head to Mark in a questioning matter. "You know what I mean. The note. What does it say?"

Sean traced his fingers over the bumps. "Uh..." He fiddled with a corner of the paper. "It's just a message for me. Not important."

"Not important?" Mark tried to control his voice. "You had a panic attack over it. It's clearly important."

"I don't want to make things worse, Mark," Sean snapped. "I can't talk about it with you -- I'm afraid to. If Sam..." He turned his back to Mark. "I don't know. I'm sorry, Mark. I'm just afraid." Mark admitted defeat. He didn't want to pressure Sean. "Oh, but, Mark? You might wanna get some sleep. You sound exhausted."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I found myself with a sore throat a few days ago. It hurt to speak and I could only make certain noises or gestures to communicate. I now understand to a certain degree what Cry goes through. I'm still sick, sadly, which is one of the reasons this chapter is short. But anyway. Let me know what you think!


	29. Close Encounters

Mark wanted to take a quick nap before he had to head to work. He woke up sprawled across his bed with his blanket falling off and the pillow no where near his head. The time showed that there was only five minutes before work started. Mark flung himself out of bed and scrambled to put some pants on. He rushed out a goodbye to Sean -- who couldn't even decipher what was said -- and then sprinted out the door. On the way, he forcefully tucked his shirt in while people gave him either curious or uncomfortable glances. It was too crowded to run, so speed walking was the next best thing.

Mark's stomach shouted in protest upon realizing that it wasn't heading to get food. He grimaced. There wasn't enough time to stop to buy a quick snack. Perhaps he could ask Marzia for something. If she had a shift today, that is. She often didn't have Saturday shifts. But Mark's eyes filled with hope when he saw her through the window of the pet shop across the street. He unfortunately had to wait at the cross walk. There was a minute until his shift officially began.

There was an odd feeling in the air. Mark felt as if he was being watched. He glanced around, but saw no one staring at him. Maybe it was just his imagination. His mind was keeping him on edge as not to forget about Sam. That must be it. Mark kept telling himself that was it as the light flashed to show he had to walk. He kept his head down. There weren't many people walking with him — five at the most. Someone screamed suddenly, "Look out!" Mark felt hands push against his back. He stumbled onto the sidewalk and spun around.

He felt his eyes widen.

There was a broken body laying on the ground. Their hoodie was stained with blood. It smeared the street and was dragged on by some car speeding away. The person didn't move at all. The people Mark were walking with stopped and gaped. A crowd was forming on the opposite side of the street. Mark faintly registered the pet store door opening. Marzia gasped and Suzy made a choked noise. Everything was distant to Mark. That body could have been him. But maybe it was worse because he recognized who it was.

* * *

Sean stuffed some toast in his mouth. On days when Mark was out to work, Sean just constantly snacked. He never considered himself skilled enough to actually cook food on his own. He could almost do it if someone was there to help him, but he just wasn't skilled in the art of creating meals. He was able to make toast though -- and cereal. And grab whatever could be microwaved or unwrapped. That stuff was easy.

"You know, Chica?" Sean began after a swig of water. "It's hard to believe this is my life now." He sighed deeply. It seemed like only yesterday he had a normal life. But now he's constantly terrified and his friends are in danger. There shouldn't be a real reason for this. It all seemed like some sort of twisted nightmare. "One day it'll be back to normal, right?" Chica didn't give her opinion. Sean finished off his toast in response.

Sean clicked the home button on his phone and the voice relayed the time into his ear bud. It would still be a few hours until Mark came home. Maybe he should grab some _Goldfish_ to pass the time. You can never go wrong with cracker snacks.

Sean spent the rest of his time eating _Goldfish_ and talking with Chica. He actually managed to finish off the bag and decided to hide the evidence. The empty bag ended up going on top of the fridge behind the cereal. Sean plopped down on the couch and listened to music, occasionally saying something to Chica. After what felt like a good amount of time, Sean checked the time again. There was only a few minutes until Mark's shift ended, but then it would still be about ten minutes after that until Mark actually came home. Sean groaned and put his face into the cushions. He was going to explode from boredom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Certainly not the best near the end. I ran out of ideas after Mark's point of view, but it was too short to just leave it there. Sorry about the lack of updates. I've been super busy with some major projects. But thankfully, after my English one is turned in, there won't be much stressing out for a while. Pretty soon I'll be able to finish up this story in the quality that it deserves :)


	30. Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized as I was writing this chapter that I could have possibly written Suzy as Suzie. It's supposed to be Suzy so please ignore the Suzies that I may have missed. That goes for any other chapter I mentioned Suzy in.

Mark turned his back to the window when the ambulance arrived. He couldn't bare to look at that crumpled body anymore. Suzy was rubbing his arm and glancing out the window constantly. Marzia emerged from the back room carrying a cup of water and a sandwich. She handed them to Mark and he muttered a thanks. There was a silence in the room. Mark knew the question they wanted to ask. "Yeah, I knew him," Mark answered. He put the cup and sandwich on the counter. He lost his appetite, anyway. "I guess you could call him a friend. He helped Jack out once."

"Was he the one that went missing?" Marzia asked quietly. She looked at her painted nails as if they were the most interesting thing going on. "I saw the posters at school."

Mark nodded. He suddenly felt anger surging through him. Taurtis was the only person who could tell them about Sam. How could he just go and die like that after being gone for months? Where was he the whole time? Now they would never know. Mark tried to remain calm. "I thought he was dead."

"Well now he is," Suzy couldn't stop herself. "Oh. Sorry. Was that insensitive?"

Marzia let out a small smile. Mark shrugged. Suzy glanced out the window. The ambulance was driving away, but the police were there. They were blocking off the street. She knew they were going to want to talk to witnesses. She looked back to Mark and Marzia. She felt a sense of protection: like a mother toward her children. Suzy always thought of them as her kids, and her kids were suffering. They felt the loss of a fellow student.

The bell to signal that the door was open jingled. The three inside looked to the sound. Two police officers entered. Suzy, feeling like the only adult in the room, stood up and greeted the men. "How can I help you, sirs?" She mustered up the sweetest voice she could manage.

"We're here about the hit-and-run," one of them said. He was an older man, but not elderly. "Would any of you happen to have any information on it?"

Suzy pursed her lips and Marzia shifted awkwardly. Mark was the only calm one. "He saved me," Mark's voice was hallow. The two officers and Suzy turned to look at him. "In case you didn't notice, that was the missing person Sam supposedly took. The car was a black sedan. I didn't catch the license plate as I was too busy almost being splattered on the street like Taurtis." If Mark was going for intimidating and annoyed, then he certainly captured it. Even the police officers weren't too eager to engage with him any further, so they thanked them for their time and headed out. Mark knew they had his information if they needed him.

Suzy stared after them for a couple of seconds before turning to Mark. "Was that your first time being interviewed by police, Mark?"

"More like my fifth." Mark took a sip of water. "You'd think they'd be tired of seeing my face by now."

Suzy and Marzia glanced at each other, but neither brought up the obvious question that hung in the air, and Mark didn't seem like he was going to answer it.

The day went by slowly. No one was coming in, and the police were still hanging around. Suzy stayed with Marzia and Mark like a hen with her chicks. Marzia busied herself by organizing things. Mark finally started eating his sandwich. The shop was quiet, save for the occasional sip of water from Mark or shuffling of things in shelves from Marzia. Suzy sighed and counted money in the register for the hundredth time. She decided to leave some in there for change and put the rest in the money box to be brought upstairs later. "Why don't we just close up early?" Suzy suggested. No one was coming in and the kids were traumatized. Hell, so was she. The image of that poor boy's body being broken lingered in her mind. "I can call Arin and maybe we can all go out to eat?"

Mark remained silent but Marzia quietly agreed. Suzy frowned. Maybe she should call up some other friends as well. She needed to cheer up these kids. Arin said he'd be there soon and offered to bring Danny. Suzy thought that was wonderful and soon enough Dan, Ross, Holly, Barry, and even Kevin were invited to join. Much to Arin and Suzy's joy, they all agreed to come.

Suzy made sure to keep who was coming a surprise. Mark and Marzia only knew Arin was coming along. When Arin arrived, Suzy more than eagerly rushed the kids into the car. They both looked at each other, sharing confusion. Suzy quietly explained everything to Arin and he nodded in understanding. He took it upon himself to cheer the kids up. He cracked jokes, told stories, and did anything he could think of. It worked, for the most part. Marzia giggled and Mark erupted into that loud laughter of his. Suzy smiled at them.

They were going to a burger place in the next city over. Arin had told their special guests to meet them there. He had managed to get Mark, Marzia, and Suzy in high spirits. That was worth a medal in his book. They followed Arin inside the diner, and immediately knew where they should be. Five people crowded around a table with loud laughter emanating from them. Mark grinned broadly while Marzia looked rather sheepish. Mark had met them all once before -- he was neighbors with Ross and Holly -- but Marzia hadn't. With that in mind, Mark introduced her to everyone. Holly took a particular liking to her and everyone could see a special friendship blossoming.

Arin and Suzy watched with satisfaction as their kids mingled and acted like themselves. They high-fived each other for a job well done. The group stayed long after their food was finished. Dan even ordered a large shake to share with Barry just so they could have an excuse to stay longer. Kevin then had the brilliant idea of having them race to see who could reach the bottom first. Barry stopped mid-sip and immediately agreed. Both Dan and Barry exaggerated in getting themselves ready to drink as much as they could. "Ready?" Ross asked. The two nodded. Ross cracked a crooked grin. "On your mark... get set... Go!"

Danny and Barry dug their spoons into the cup and shoveled what they could get into their mouths. Everyone else cheered them on. "Ack!" Barry pounded his fist on the table. "Brain freeze!" Danny snorted, and in response, he choked on the ice cream he just scooped his mouth. Everyone laughed as the two tried to regain their composure. "That's it! I'm done," Barry said with a mouthful. He tossed his spoon down. "I can't take anymore."

"Dan Avidan is the winner!" Ross announced and lifted up one of Danny's arms. "Congratulations Danny, you win by forfeit."

"The best kind of win," Dan said before finishing off the last of the shake.

The group eventually decided to leave when they noticed how late it had gotten. Arin offered to take Mark and Marzia home, along with Ross and Holly. Marzia declined and said she could walk from there. Arin -- letting his father side show -- said it was too late for her to walk home alone. Kevin piped up with an offer to go with her. "I-if you want to," he muttered bashfully. Marzia smiled and they walked home together. Danny gave Barry a ride and that just left Mark, Arin, Suzy and the happy couple. Arin left an extra tip for the poor waitress that had to deal with their bullshit.

Mark looked at Ross and Holly being their cute couple self, then a thought struck him. "Shit," he nearly shouted. Arin practically swerved off the road.

"What the fuck?" Arin glanced up at the mirror to glare at Mark.

Mark sheepishly apologized. "I just remembered I left Jack alone all this time."

"Well he's not exactly alone," Ross said, still recovering from his life flashing before his eyes. "Chica is there with him."

"He's a big boy, Mark," Arin added rather grumpily. "I'm sure being alone for a few hours wouldn't hurt."

Mark was skeptical. It was true that Chica was home, but she couldn't protect Sean if anyone broke in. The best she could do was bark. Mark sighed and attempted to relax. He was getting anxious the closer they got to the apartments. All he wanted was for Sean to be safe. So when Arin finally stopped in the parking lot, Mark practically flung himself out the door. Suzy cheerily wished them all a good night. Mark said a rushed goodbye and tried to walk away as calmly as he could.

Chica greeted him at the door as usual. He quietly shushed her, as her harness jingled when she moved. He tip-toed over to the couch where Sean was fast asleep. Mark poked his shoulder gently. Sean shifted his position, but that was it. He didn't wake up. Mark carefully took the ear buds out of Sean's ears, and set them and the phone on the side table. He put his arm under Sean's legs, waiting to see if that woke him up, and then slipped his other arm behind Sean's back. Chica followed them obediently.

Mark set Sean down on the bed as gently as he could. Sean stirred, causing Mark to freeze, but he didn't wake up. Mark let out a breath he wasn't aware of holding. As he turned to leave, something caught his eye. On Sean's desk was that note. Mark stood there staring at it. He could have easily took the time to translate the note. But he didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter for your long chapter needs :)


	31. One Last Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate when you guys comment :)

****Sean woke up in a state of panic. It took a moment to realize he was in his room. Did he fall asleep in here? He couldn't remember. All he could think about was his dream. There were such awful sounds; and it was cold as well. As Sean felt around his bed for his phone, he realized that he might have been thrashing around while he was sleeping. His covers were tangled around his legs. "Where did I put my phone?" He mumbled to himself. It wasn't anywhere on the bed, or even on the nightstand. Sean groaned and attempted to de-tangle himself from the blanket. It was a difficult task, but it was accomplished nonetheless.

The carpet was fuzzy under Sean's bare feet. Ever since he was little, he got into the habit of dragging his feet around the house. It was a precautionary measure for himself, since he didn't like walking around the house with his white cane. Having Chica didn't appear to change his habit, though. Nevertheless, she still followed him around like a service dog should. As Sean leaned against the door frame, he heard Chica shake herself. He smiled a bit, but he found it fading when he heard something else. There were voices whispering to one another -- Sean knew both of them. He didn't feel like he was intruding as he listened in to the conversation.

"You need to get out of here." That was Mark. He didn't sound to pleased.

Mr. Ash sighed. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because..." Sean felt himself unconsciously lean closer to the conversation. "Never mind that. I'm just glad you're alright. I've missed you."

"Well I haven't missed you." Mark's voice was cold. Sean never knew Mark could have such a venomous tone. "Now leave." Sean could hear the door trying to be closed, but then stopped by something.

"I can't do that, Mark."

"I don't want anything to do with you," Mark practically growled. "I made that mistake once, I can't afford to do it again."

"So you're saying the time you spent with me was a mistake?" There was some hurt in Mr. Ash's words.

Mark answered without hesitation, "Yes. Now get the hell out of my apartment." Sean heard Mark try to close the door again, only to be stopped once more.

"I don't think that way, Mark."

Mark gave an annoyed sigh. "Look, Mr. Ash, I -- mph!" Sean's brows knitted together. Did Mark get cut off by Mr. Ash? It sounded like someone covered his mouth. Sean was about to investigate when a sound startled him. The sound of skin hitting skin. Someone got slapped. Sean really hoped it wasn't Mark. "Stop it!" Sean noted a hint of desperation in Mark's plea. "I never want to see you again!" This time the door slammed.

Sean stood there in shock. What was all that about? He didn't move until he heard Mark sobbing. Chica followed obediently to the living room. "Ah," Mark sounded startled. "J-Jack. I... did I wake you up? Sorry, just, uh —"

"I heard Mr. Ash," Sean stated bluntly. "What happened?"

Mark's breath hitched. "N-nothing, Jack. He just, uh, s-stopped by to see how we were doing. He noticed how w-we had been acting lately. I-I told him everything was fine and he left."

"Mark," Sean suddenly realized how easy it was to slip into a mom voice. "I heard just about everything. Trying to lie to me won't do you any good."

"I... I don't know why he came," there was a heavy frown. "H-he said he needed to know if I was alright for some reason. I tried to get him to go away, but he wouldn't budge. Then he... h-he kissed me. H-he tried to hold onto me, but I hit him. And that was that."

Sean scowled. The thought of Mr. Ash forcing himself onto Mark made his blood boil. He felt his face flush at the sudden rage. "I'll make sure you never see him again," Sean heard himself saying.

"W-what? Jack, you can't guarantee that."

"I can try." Sean clenched his fists. "He shouldn't have done anything like that. There was no reason for him to have come here in the first place. I'll do whatever I can to make sure he never gets near you." Sean hoped he didn't sound as ridiculous as he felt. He felt like a child trying to act brave. The sad reality was, he knew those threats would only sound intimidating if a sighted person said them. A blind person, such as himself, was weak in the one area threats needed to be strong in.

Mark hummed in amusement. Sean faltered a bit. Maybe he really was only a child acting brave. "I never thought I'd hear that loud voice of yours again," Mark laughed.

Sean hid his shock with a grin.

~~~

Sean went to work with Mark in the afternoon. Marzia gushed over Chica, as it was the first time she had seen her. Suzy gave Sean a big hug to show how much she missed him. To his surprise, the two women didn't know anything that had happened to him; not even the slightest bit of information about how Sam was involved in his life. Maybe Mark didn't want them to worry.

Sean sat at the seat behind the counter, dangling his feet. He listened to all the scrapes and squeaks of the little critters the store had to offer. Mark and Marzia were organizing shelves while keeping a conversation on separate sides of the room. Suzy's shoes made loud thuds as she hurried down the stairs from the upstairs apartment. "How are my lovely children doing?" Her voice rang out.

Marzia and Mark responded in the same happy tune. "I was talking to you too, sweetie." Suzy was at the counter now. Sean felt her hand ruffle his hair as she moved on to something else. Drawers opened and closed until a cabinet opened and there was shuffling.

"I'm okay," Sean noted his voice wasn't as chipper as everyone else's. He tried to change that. "How've you been? It's been a while since we've talked."

"That it has." The cabinet door slammed shut. Her voice strained, "I'm getting too old for this." She raised her voice to say, "You kids are driving me to my grave. Where'd you put the washcloth?"

"It's in the back."  
"I thought it was in the second cabinet?"

Marzia and Mark's response came out at the same time. There was a slight pause before the two started arguing. Suzy sighed. "How can you deal with Mark at home?" Suzy's voice traveled as she walked off somewhere.

"Hey," Mark took on a defensive tone. "I'm a delight."

"A delight to not have around?" Sean instantly shot back the familiar words. He heard Mark gasp dramatically.

Sean giggled with Marzia as Mark sputtered for a response. "Well... at least I... I mean I... Fuck you, Jack." Mark sounded incredibly flustered. Suzy called out from somewhere, and scolded him for cursing in the workplace. Mark apologized like a child that had done it a million times before. That caused Sean and Marzia to laugh louder.

A door closed gently. "I'm glad to see you two doing better since the accident yesterday," Suzy commented.

Sean stopped laughing almost immediately. He knew nothing about any accident happening yesterday. "What?" He questioned. "Something happened yesterday?"

There was an awkward pause before Suzy spoke again. "You don't know?"

Sean was starting to get a bit worried. "Should I?"

"Uh," that was Mark. "I didn't get the chance to tell him."

Suzy and Mark exchanged some harsh whispered words before Mark was pressured into explaining what happened. Sean listened intently to the tale. A horrible thought struck him as Mark explained. Was that Sam in the car? Was he trying to kill Mark? Sean thought his heart stopped when he heard Mark say Taurtis was the one that died in his place. Was that his last chance at redemption? Did he feel the need to save Mark because he was unable to stop Sam as a whole? Where was he the whole time? How did he know that Sam would be there? Would they ever know?

Sean sat in silence as the story was completed, including the parts at the diner. He felt everyone's eyes on him as if they were waiting for a reaction. He rattled his brain for an appropriate response. Was there even one? Sean took in a deep breath and said, "I'm glad you're okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying, you guys. I haven't been feeling very well lately and writer's block has been trying to slowly consume me. I don't exactly get a moment to relax since finals are coming up and I'm taking summer school (to get ahead). The stress and lack of sleep are probably the things making me sick .-. BUT ANYWAY, let me know what you think of this chapter! :D


	32. Tag, You're It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last day of school tomorrow D:

****Sean was disappointed to find out that Mr. Morrison would be out for the remainder of the semester. That meant he would have to be around Mr. Ash until the final. With that in mind, Sean refused to have Mark tag along. They said their farewell outside the classroom and Mark was on his way. Sean sighed as he entered, but something surprised him. Mr. Ash's voice didn't greet him as it usually did. He wasn't even talking to another student. His voice just wasn't there at all, it was replaced with someone else's. "Hey," Sean caught the attention of the nearest student. "Is Mr. Ash here?"

"No," the student answered. It was a male. He had a rather smooth voice. It reminded Sean a bit of Mark. "It's some other guy. I guess he's the new sub."

Sean thanked him and found a seat. Part of him was glad that Mr. Ash was gone, but the other part was suspicious. There had to be a reason for him being absent today. Sean tried not to think about it too much, as Chica could sense his agitation. He often forgot Chica wasn't a pet. It was her job to help him with panic attacks and guiding him in unfamiliar areas. So, her sensing his panic levels rising was her job, it should be no deal. But apparently -- even if it's a dog -- Sean doesn't like being a bother.

Turned out the new sub was replacing Mr. Ash entirely. That was a cause for relief, wasn't it? Mark wouldn't have to be anywhere Mr. Ash now. Then why did Sean feel like Mark was in even bigger danger?

* * *

Felix was in his apartment when he got the call. His blood ran cold at the caller ID. He excused himself, leaving a confused Cry behind. Sam's voice certainly wasn't a welcoming one. He sounded rather pissed, if Felix had to say. But that didn't stop Felix from being in his current location. It was probably very stupid to be there, but it was even stupider to stay at home. It was a little house smack in the middle of the forest about two cities over. Felix would have said it was lovely, but he wasn't sure how it was obtained by the person living in it.

Felix tried to act brave as he knocked on the door, but his body betrayed him. His hands shook violently and his legs felt like jelly. A man answered the door. His face faintly clicked in Felix's mind. It was a substitute for one of the teachers; Felix had seen him around. The man said nothing, just moved to the side so Felix could get in. When Felix was inside, he saw Sam very calmly reading a magazine on the sofa. Felix wasn't sure he wanted to speak first. "Y'know," Sam said after what felt like hours of silence. "I really _hate_ when my plans go wrong." Felix felt himself take a step back when Sam stood up. His voice was cool, collected, and that's what terrified Felix.

Sam smiled at Felix. It wasn't even overly sweet -- it seemed genuine. He dropped the magazine on the coffee table and walked toward Felix, who was trying not to take anymore steps back. Sam was slightly shorter than Felix, but that hardly made him less intimidating. With hardly any indication of what was happening next, Sam swung his fist at Felix. Felix stumbled back and held his cheek. He could already taste the iron in his mouth. Sam didn't give any signs that the action hurt him at all. "First off, you didn't tell me Mark was going to be late. You live right above him, don't you? Shouldn't you be able to see when he leaves?" Sam hit Felix again. The whole time his voice was steady. "But that's not all. Because of your slip-up, Taurtis escaped. And you know what happened next, _Felix_?"

Felix was afraid to answer.

Sam grabbed the collar of Felix's shirt and brought him down to eye-level. His voice was lowered to a deadly whisper, "I ran over Taurtis instead." Felix's eyes widened. Several thoughts ran through his head at once. Taurtis was Sam's closest friend, and had been until the very end. Despite Sam's new demeanor Taurtis had been loyal. Felix had the pleasure to meet Taurtis once, and knew he was a kind soul; an angel compared to the demon that was Sam. Taurtis tried until his very last breath to save Mark and Sean from Sam's rage, Felix knew that. He wished he could tell Mark and Sean that, he wished he could say Taurtis was a better friend than he. Sam let go of Felix. "I'm afraid to say our deal is up."

"W-what?" The first word Felix had spoke since he got there came out weak -- just like him. "What do you mean? Why? I --"

"Why?" Sam's voice rose. Felix recoiled in fear. "Because I killed Taurtis." He was livid. "I killed my best friend all because of you." Sam struck Felix the hardest he had ever been hit in his life. Blood gushed from his nose and he was pretty sure something broke on one of them.

Felix instinctively turned around in order to shield his face from anymore blows. The substitute teacher was still standing by the door. When Felix looked at him, he cast his eyes down. Sam yanked on Felix's hair to bring him kneeling on the floor. He still held on tightly as he pulled up the hapless blond. They were inches away from each other's face. "You were the one who convinced Mark to leave Aaron, weren't you?" Felix was shocked, to say the least. He didn't think that would be an issue with Sam. 

"N-no," Felix hated how his voice trembled. "I may have said some words, but I didn't convince him. If anyone 'convinced' him it would be Jack. Jack was devastated and Mark realized that. Mark truly loves him." Felix realized that he never said out loud Mark's relation with Sean. He may have hinted to it several times, but never actually said it. Maybe that's how it was for Mark.

Sam smirked and glanced at the man by the door. "Would you like to take your anger out, Aaron?" Sam pulled back Felix's head so that Felix saw Aaron upside down. Aaron didn't respond, just walked right up to them. Felix half expected him to not do anything, but he was terribly wrong. As soon as Sam let go of his hair, Aaron kicked him right in the stomach. Felix felt the air leave his body, and he doubled over. "Y'know," Sam spoke while Aaron slammed his foot onto Felix's back. He was just standing back and watching. "Getting Mark to fall for Aaron here was part of my plan. The more Mark went out, the more vulnerable Jack would be, but once again you've gotten in the way of that."

Felix cried out as Aaron stomped on the back of his knee. He wanted to scream at Sam -- say he didn't do anything wrong -- but he couldn't. Sam watched as Aaron kicked and hit Felix in any way he could. Any time Felix would try to get up or move away, Aaron stepped on his hands. Felix was trapped. "That's enough," Sam said eventually. It was like he had gotten bored of watching Felix suffer. Aaron stepped away and Felix curled up on his side. Everything hurt. Sam walked right into Felix's line of sight. Felix looked up to see his stoic expression. "I'll give you one more chance. Next time you ruin my plans, we'll go after your precious boyfriend instead."

Felix felt fear and hatred hit him at the same time. He was afraid because he didn't know what Sam would consider "ruining his plans", but he hated him for threatening Cry. Sam turned around. "I think it goes without saying that you shouldn't tell anyone about what happened or where you met me." He walked toward the door, Aaron tagging behind. They didn't even look back as they left.

Felix stared at the door. Blood was beginning to cake on his face and his knuckles were bruised and cut, but he didn't care. He didn't even care that his back ached and his leg pulsated with pain. Managing to stand up wasn't even the biggest priority. Felix had no idea how to explain this to Cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad I was finally able to write a chapter. And it was in a brand new perspective! Thank all of you for helping me out. There's so many reads on this! I hope you liked this chapter :)


	33. Worried Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I never mentioned it on here, but I'm planning to do a PewDieCry story. It'll take place in this universe and will pretty much serve as a prologue on how Cry is how he is.

If Cry could scream; he would.

Felix was battered by someone that he wouldn't say. Cry didn't even know what to do. He was too shocked to even question Felix any further. He just watched as Felix trudged over to the couch and collapsed on it. He waved off Cry's concerns as if they weren't important. Cry furiously typed into his phone, " _I'm gonna get Mark --"_

Felix cut into the phone's voice. They overlapped each other as he said, "Don't. That's not necessary. I'm fine, Cry."

Cry's face was a mix between a pout and a scowl. Felix was obviously not fine in any way. Cry scrolled through his contacts to find Mark. Usually, they would just FaceTime to talk, but Cry only had one functional hand. He sent a quick text to Mark and crossed his arms to show Felix he wasn't pleased. Felix frowned. "Listen, Cry," he winced as he sat up. "I love you more than I can possibly say. Which is exactly why I'm begging you to not worry about this. Please. I don't want to hurt you."

Cry pursed his lips. Felix was in obvious pain, and he was covered in blood. Helping Felix was all that mattered to Cry at the moment. " _This is for your own good_ ," he decided on saying. Felix looked as if he admitted defeat. Cry was being his stubborn self.

In what felt like hours to Cry, Mark arrived with Sean and Chica. Mark looked mortified while Sean had no idea. After listening to what was going on, Sean finally realized. Felix was severely injured without a good reason as to why. Sean had a dreadful feeling that he knew what happened, but he stayed quiet while Mark and Cry argued with Felix.

"You need to go to the hospital, dude," Mark said, exasperated.

"I'm fine," Felix snapped.

" _I saw you walking in. You were limping and there's blood all over your face. Just listen to us and go to the hospital,_ " Cry's phone held no emotion.

Sean continued to say nothing. Everything was happening too quickly. Both Mark's and Felix's voices were raising. Was that what was left of Cry's voice? Sean clenched his jaw. Mark and Felix are screaming at each other now. Cry's phone couldn't yell like he most likely wished he could. "Stop it!" Sean finally shouted. Everything fell silent. No one moved, or spoke -- it didn't even sound like anyone breathed. "That's enough! We're friends! Why are you acting this way? Has what's been happening really affecting how we are? Aren't we still the same people we once were before this all happened? Felix can speak on his own time -- when he's ready he'll tell us."

No one said anything. Sean could only hope that he saved Felix from whatever hell Sam might bring. " _Jack is right_ ," Cry's phone said. " _We should just get Pewds to a hospital before anything else_."

Sean didn't know about Felix, but he sure felt relieved.

~~~

Sean had been forced to go to the hospital with everyone. Cry didn't want go alone, and of Mark went then Sean had to. He sat stiffly in the waiting room, with his thoughts stewing in catastrophe. He had a suspicion that Felix had been injured because of Sam. The hope in him wanted to believe that Felix could lead the police to Sam, but he knew that Sam would unleash hell before he was ever captured. All Sean could do at this point was pray, to whatever could hear him, that Felix could come up with a great lie to give the doctors.

Cry wasn't speaking and Sean could feel Mark's leg bouncing up and down. They were all tense. There was nearly a collective sigh of relief when the doctor's voice finally came back. Felix was fine, save for his badly bruised back and broken nose.  He was free to go, but had to return for an operation on his nose. Then the doctor made a comment that caught them all off guard. "Just make sure he picks his fights with people he can win against, eh?"

They waited until they got Felix out of the hospital to question him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, there's nothing much to say about this chapter. I wanted to add more to it but it was giving me terrible writer's block and it would be best to add it in another chapter. Let me know what you think. I know it wasn't the best. it was more of a filler, really. I'll see you all in the next update!


	34. Date Night

Mark woke up on a Thursday morning with a thought paralyzing him. Tomorrow was Friday. He completely forgot that he was supposed to take Sean out to eat. The whole ordeal with Felix really messed everyone up. He said he had gotten into a fight that day he came home injured, but it didn't seem like something Felix would do. No one had a better explanation, so they believed him. And in that time, Sean had become even more distant. He hardly spoke to Mark or left his room. Mark knew that Sean needed to go out more than ever. He just didn't know where.

Luckily, he had a class with Felix today.

"Hey, Felix," Mark greeted as he sat down. Felix had two black eyes not only from his injured nose but because he had been hit in the face several times. It reminded Mark of a sad, little raccoon. "How you holding up?"

"I feel like my face is gonna melt off." Felix gave a bitter smile. "So I'm great. How are you?"

Mark sighed. "I forgot about taking Sean out. I still don't know where. I was supposed to have all week to think about it, but it just slipped my mind."

Felix looked surprised, then it looked as if he figured something out. "Well you're in luck, I happen to know a place." His little raccoon face lit up. "It's not too far from here. They have great food and everything. It's called Fran's Garden. Calm down, it's not a fancy restaurant or anything; you're not going on a date." Felix winked with his least injured eye.

That comment caused Mark to get butterflies. It wasn't a date, Felix was right. There was no need to stress over it... but for some reason, Mark had to make it perfect. "R-right. Uh, after class tomorrow?" Felix nodded. "And just... the two of us? Like alone?"

"You'll be in a restaurant, Mark," Felix sounded amused. "Unless you wanna be somewhere a little more private."

Mark nearly threw up some butterflies. His face felt warm, but his ears were burning. "N-no! Don't... that's not something. I-I just... I was -- I mean..."

"Aw, is little Markimoo getting all hot and bothered?"

Mark put his head down on the desk and covered his bright pink ears. Felix chuckled, which caused Mark to grimace. "I was just joking, dude," Felix laughed. "Calm down. It's just a friendly get-together, right? There's no reason to get so embarrassed. You'll go there, eat some fuckin' great food, then come home and it's over. Maybe play some games. And then -- bam -- mission accomplished."

Mark wanted to agree, but he wasn't sure if he should trust his words.

* * *

Friday came a lot faster than Sean thought it would. He was slowly losing track of the days. His mind was just always so preoccupied with things and worry. Sam could come at any moment and take Mark away. Sean didn't know if he could ever function properly without Mark. It was the first time he had become dependent on someone else since his childhood. There wasn't really anything he could do. Sam never gave any warnings to where he would strike next. That just meant that Sean had to be on high alert all the time.

Sean didn't realize class had ended until he heard everyone pack up. He awkwardly shoved everything in his bag and stood up. Some girls were cooing over Chica from a distance. Sean always found it amusing to hear people talk about Chica. They always said how cute or pretty she was, some people even said how much they wanted to pet her, but knew that they shouldn't. It was rather entertaining.

As soon as Sean left the class, he was expecting to have to wait for Mark. But Mark was already there. "Oh," Sean didn't mean to sound surprised. "Hi, Mark. You're rather early." Sean's Friday class was in the farthest class building, so even if Mark left the apartment early it would still take him a while to get there. That must heave meant Mark left before class was even close to ending.

"Yeah, I-I just didn't want to have to make you wait," Mark sounded nervous for some reason. "Are you ready?"

Sean was always ready to head home. He noticed as they were walking, Mark was oddly quiet. Sean wanted to point that out, but couldn't find himself forming words. Instead, he just settled on listening to his surroundings. There weren't many cars passing by. The birds were silent, most likely in their nests trying to get warm. It was a little chilly tonight. Not cold enough to need a jacket, but not exactly that warm either. "Hey," Mark said. He gently grabbed Sean's arm to stop him. "I got a surprise for you." Mark allowed Sean to grab onto him so he could lead him in another direction.

Mark didn't own a car. And neither did Sean, obviously. So Sean could only assume that the car door that opened was Felix's. This raised several questions, of course. But Mark didn't let him ask any. "It's a surprise," Mark said as soon as Sean opened his mouth. He took Chica from Sean's hand. "Just don't die getting in the car." Sean gave a fake laugh to show Mark wasn't funny.

Chica was getting settled in the back seat while Mark got into the driver's side. "Can you at least give me some hints?" Sean asked with a bit of hope lingering in his voice.

"Of course not."

Sean pouted.

It seemed Mark was gaining some more confidence as they drove. He was talking like his normal self and appeared to be less nervous. Sean still had no idea what there was to be nervous about. But he found himself speaking to Mark more than he had spoken in the past week. Perhaps that was what was making Mark so confident? Well, whatever the reason, Sean still couldn't get any hints out of him. "We're here," Mark chirped.

"Well, where's here?" Sean questioned.

"If you'd be patient..."

Sean mimicked Mark in a ridiculous tone. He got out of the car and Chica was handed over to him. "You're such a gentlemen," Sean said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," Mark said. "Play nice. You should be bowing down and thanking me."

"Oh I'll thank you alright," Sean grumbled beneath his breath. He took hold of Mark's arm in order to be led in the right direction.

When they got into the mysterious building, Sean instantly smelled food. His mouth began to water at such a glorious scent. It was an amalgam of spices, roasts, and sweets. Maybe they were in heaven. Sean hardly listened to the hostess, he was focused on the food. He followed her and Mark away from the chatter and clinks of silverware to plates and, unfortunately, the smell of food. Where they ended up was somewhere quieter. It didn't sound as if anyone else was there. But it felt like it was outside.

The breeze swept Sean's hair to the side. "Can I know where we are now?" Sean felt a large smile creep onto his face. It's been a while since he smiled like that. It seemed all Sean did nowadays was frown in thought.

"I guess you can," Mark sounded as if the task labored him. He chuckled a bit before continuing, "We're at a restaurant if you couldn't tell. Fran's Garden. Felix recommended it to me."

Sean's smile remained constant. "What's the special occasion then?"

"Nothing, really. You just seemed like you needed a night out."

He was right, of course. Sean needed a day to be stress-free. It was working so far. Sean felt unnecessarily giddy at leaving the house. But it also possibly could have been because he was out having dinner with Mark. Like a date. But, of course, it wasn't a date. Mark hadn't said so. It was just a dinner between two friends. Just friends. Nonetheless, Sean was going to have fun. Even if he had to force it out of himself. 

The night had been going smoothly. Both men found themselves the happiest they had been in a while. That was Mark's goal. He was more than happy that he achieved it. Though somewhere between getting their food and nearly finishing it, something got loose. "I kinda feel like everything is my fault," Sean said. It seemed like it was more to himself than anything. "About what's been happening. Sam is after me specifically, right?"

Mark frowned. He didn't like where this was going. "Yeah... but what does that have to do with anything? It's not your fault that he's after you for some reason."

"I guess."

Mark's frown deepened. "Listen, Jack." Mark reached across the table to grab Sean's hand. "It's not your fault. No matter what might be running through that Irish head of yours, alright? You can't take the blame for something you have no control over."

Sean didn't look fully convinced. Mark found himself scooting his chair over to Sean. He made Sean face him and grabbed both of his hands. "Listen to me, Jack," Mark's voice came out stern, but not commanding. "You can blame yourself all you want, but that won't change the truth. You haven't done anything to make this your fault. You're as innocent as the rest of us, Jack. And if you say otherwise, then you're just admitting defeat. You're having Sam win before he even plans to do something else."

Sean tightened his grip on Mark's hands. "I-I'm just afraid of what might happen to you since you're so close to me. Not only are you my best friend, but you live with me. I just..." Sean trailed off and turned his head. Mark noticed he had a habit of doing that when he admitted something he was ashamed of. It was like his version of trying to hide his face with his hands.

Mark gently turned Sean's head to face him. "It's okay to be afraid, Jack. That's how you know you're alive. But I can promise you that Sam won't do anything to me. I'll make sure he doesn't get to either of us, got it?"

"But how can you be sure?"

"Because you can't break a pinky promise." Mark wrapped his pinky around Sean's.

This caused Sean to smile. It was bright and so full of amusement for the goofball that was Mark. Mark felt his chest warm up at the sight. Sean was such a perfect human being. How could anyone want to hurt such a precious ray of sunshine? Mark was more compelled than ever to protect his little ball of happiness. He intertwined their fingers just so he could feel close to Sean. It seemed like his brain wanted more than Mark was willing to do because he found himself gently cupping Sean's face. He gazed at Sean before slowly leaning in.

Then his eyes caught sight of someone he didn't wish to see.

Mark jumped back as if Sean hit him. He ripped his hand away and stood up. Sean certainly didn't look hurt or confused. Nope. Not at all. Mark definitely didn't cause that look, and he obviously didn't feel guilt swallow up his heart. "Uh, just, w-wait here a minute," Mark said quietly. "I'll be right back." Sean gave him a weak smile in response and Mark felt like the biggest asshole.

Mark walked up to Mr. Ash, hatred filling his veins and remorse forming his heart. Before Mr. Ash had the chance to say anything, Mark roughly grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the restaurant, just to be sure they were away from Sean's ears. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Mark whispered harshly. "How did you even find out we were here?"

"You don't look very pleased to see me," Mr. Ash whispered back with slight, sarcastic hurt in his voice. Mark scowled. "I just wanted to know what you were up to."

"By stalking me?"

"Listen," Mr. Ash grabbed Mark's arms. Mark tensed up. He instantly began scanning the restaurant to see if anyone was noticing and if someone would hear him if he had to call for help. "I came here to warn you."

Mark found the courage to take his arms back. "I don't want anything to do with you." He turned to walk back outside, but Mr. Ash said something that stopped him.

"Sean's lying to you. So is Felix."

Mark spun around. "What did you just say?" How dare he -- of all people -- have the audacity to call his friends liars. Sean was too innocent to even consider lying to Mark and Felix could hardly keep secrets because he was so talkative. "Why would they have any reason to lie to me? They're my friends."

"Even friends have motives."

Mark found his anger filling him up once more. He was angry that Mr. Ash was here, that he came even after Mark slammed a door in his face and told him to never show himself again. But what made him even angrier, was that Mr. Ash interrupted something important to spew nonsense about people he hardly knew. Mark caught Mr. Ash by surprise by pushing him against a wall. "Now you listen to me," Mark's voice dropped to a threatening level. "Don't say anything about my friends. Don't come back again. And don't -- _don't_ \-- let me see you when I'm with Jack." He let go of Mr. Ash and walked away. Hopefully, Sean didn't feel too hurt by the whole ordeal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus. Over 2200 words in this chapter. Hopefully, it wasn't rushed and you could enjoy it.


	35. At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SUCH TRASH. I WATCHED ZOOTOPIA RECENTLY AND I FOUND MYSELF SHIPPING JUDY AND NICK. I TRIED NOT TO BUT I COULDN'T RESIST. I'M FUCKING OBSESSED. In other news, what's with all this attention? Jeez.

Sean balled his fists and pretended his throat didn't burn. He pushed down on his legs. What was he thinking? Surely, Mark didn't think of Sean the same way Sean thought about Mark. Maybe Sean was just a friend. He should be fine with that, shouldn't he? "Dammit all," Sean muttered under his breath. He put his arms on the table and then hid his face in them. Sean loved Mark way more than a friend. He thought maybe Mark felt the same way, but it was clearly a misunderstanding.

"Hey, Jack, I'm back," Mark said gently.

Sean's breath hitched. He mustered up all his strength to look up and smile. He tried to ignore the fact that the corners of his mouth were trembling. "Hey. What was that all about?" His voice sounded lame. _C'mon, Jack, just pretend nothing happened._

"Oh, uh, nothing. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Sean's fake smile slipped. Maybe it was all just some excuse to get away from Sean. The thought caused his chest to ache. "O-oh, okay." The assumption of Mark regretting what he almost did caused Sean to feel sick. He brought up a painfully phony smile. "Well, are you gonna join me or what?"

He could have sworn he heard Mark mutter, "Fuck it." before he was nearly knocked off his chair. It took a while for his brain to register that Mark was kissing him. His mind was walking slowly and running fast all at once. This was a new experience. There weren't any thoughts forming to tell Sean how he should be feeling. But when Mark moved away, Sean felt butterflies in his stomach. His knees felt weak, even though he was sitting. All the thoughts and feelings that should have happened while Mark kissed him, formed all at once when it was over. "I-I..." was all he could get out.

"S-shit. Sorry," Mark scrambled to get away. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean -- I shouldn't have -- I..." He seemed to struggle to find words. "I'm sorry Jack. I shouldn't have done that. I was just..."

Sean felt like he could speak; now that the shock passed. "It's fine, Mark," He answered genuinely. "I didn't mind. There's no reason to beat yourself up over this."

Mark let out a nervous, relieved laugh and Sean grinned in response.

The two decided to head home after Mark paid for the meal. ("You're such a gentlemen." "Shut it."). The ride back was nothing special. They talked as if nothing had happened between them. On the inside, Sean was a fan girling mess. He kept constantly thinking back to Mark kissing him as often as he could. There was hope in him as if he had never had hope before. The thought of Mark wanting to be more than friends caused him to feel giddy. He had to keep those thoughts from showing on the outside, though. He wasn't sure if Mark was as excited and happy as he was by it.

When they got home, the two men plopped on the couch while Chica sat down by Sean's legs. "What d'you wanna do?" Mark sighed. They were both content with just sitting on the couch. Sean made an 'I dunno' noise. "TV it is, then." The television turned on. Mark flipped through several channels until he found what sounded like a movie.

Neither of them found it interesting, it was just on to be on. They chatted back and forth about little things. For the first time in a long time, Mark felt like everything was back to normal. It was a pleasant feeling -- almost peaceful. 

Mark rest his head back on the couch and sighed. It was a content sigh; it might even be considered happy. He turned his head to say something to Sean, only to find him asleep. Mark couldn't help the smile that played on his lips. Sean looked like a little kitten -- all curled up. His head was resting on the armrest while his feet were on Mark's lap. Who knew a little ray of sunshine like Sean could get tuckered out so easily? Mark decided to stay there. Might as well not wake him up. Knowing him, he would have started drowsily complaining that Mark disturbed his sleep. If Mark was being completely honest with himself, he loved sleepy Sean. He was just so cute.

"G'night, sunshine," Mark whispered. The only other thing awake to hear him was Chica. She was laying down, looking up at him with that puppy-dog face. "You too, Chica." He smiled at her. He felt all warm and fuzzy. Was this what it was like to have a normal life? It's been so long since Mark experienced anything normal. Life only seemed like fear and worry now. But at least at this moment -- even if it was the only moment he would get -- Mark felt safe. There was no worry, or fear, or anything like that. There was only this fuzzy, happy feeling. Mark was completely okay with that.

Once the movie was over, it went straight into another one. Mark tried his best to stay awake for it. It just wasn't that interesting to him. Maybe they were only playing boring movies tonight. He looked over to Sean, who was still sleeping peacefully. Chica was fast asleep, as well. Mark should probably be joining them in slumber, but he learned his lesson about sleeping on the couch. He looked at his situation. All he had to do was slip from under Sean's feet and then carry him to bed. Simple.

But... Mark was lazy. Staying on the couch was so much better than standing up. Maybe he'd stay until he couldn't keep his eyes open. Unfortunately, that time came sooner than he had anticipated. He groaned internally. Moving without waking up Sean proved easier than expected. The hard part would be attempting to lift him off the couch in his current ball form. Just as Mark thought he found a solution, his phone went off. It startled him more than it should have. He looked at the illuminating screen on the side table. Who would be messaging him at this hour? He sighed in slight annoyance and picked up his phone. The message confused him even more, but the messenger frustrated him.

Aaron: _Watch out for a fire._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe so many of you read this! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone.


	36. Hey There, Jack

It had been a couple of weeks. Neither Mark nor Sean told the other about the secrets they held from someone they despised. There were several times where Mark considered it but decided that a vague text wasn't worth worrying Sean. Sean had not once thought about showing Mark that note. Part of him was afraid that if Mark knew, then whatever Sam had in mind would take action. Perhaps that would be their downfall in the end. Fear and anxiety are strong motives, aren't they?

It was an oddly normal day for the four friends. Felix's nose was doing just fine and Cry was finally able to use both hands. Mark and Sean decided to visit Mr. Morrison (who had been out of the hospital for a while but had to rest at home). He was doing just fine and Mrs. Morrison was as cheerful as always. The four friends eventually met up at the pet shop. Mark always took Sean to work with him nowadays. That vague text from Mr. Ash caused him to be a bit paranoid. Sean didn't mind much. He loved talking with Suzy and Marzia.

But Cry and Felix had a plan.

The couple knew about the ship sailing at Fran's Garden. Sean acted as if it was a fairytale come true, while Mark was a bashful mess. What upset the shippers the most, was the fact that Sean and Mark were completely nonchalant about it after. They acted as if it was something friends do on a normal basis. Felix was practically pulling his hair out when Mark said he wasn't going steady with Sean. Cry, being the devious mastermind that he is, set up a plan. Felix more than willingly agreed to it.

Suzy and Marzia were in on it as well. So with all the shippers on one team, they would certainly get things done. It was only the matter if the ones being shipped would play along.

"Oh, hey, guys," Mark greeted cheerfully. Felix and Cry walked in. Felix gave a wide grin while Cry just waved. "What're you doing here? Last time I checked you weren't planning to adopt." Mark smirked and leaned against the counter.

"We just wanted to stop by," Felix said. Cry nodded in agreement. "Can't we know how our precious little cinnamon buns are doing?" He said that part as if he was talking to a baby. To emphasize, he made kissy faces at Mark.

Mark rolled his eyes.

Cry decided to join in the conversation. He made sure to not move his hands too fast for Mark. Mark spoke for Cry so Sean could know, "In all honesty, we just came to ask how you guys are holding up. We also wanted to know if you'd want to come over later to hang out."

Mark looked at Sean as if he was waiting for him to answer. "I wouldn't mind that," Sean smiled as he spoke. "It's been a while since we all hung out. Normally, at least."

"Sean, dear?" Suzy called out from the back of the store. "Can you help me out? I need your opinion on something."

Sean sat there in shock. "Y-yeah," he called back. He slid off the stool and grabbed Chica. Marzia practically skipped over to him and said she would help him. She turned around and shot a wink at Cry and Felix behind Mark's back. The plan was in motion.

Mark didn't even get the chance to react. Felix grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and dragged him toward the door. Cry stood up on a stool to hold the door's bell while Felix opened it. Cry slipped it off the little hook and joined the two outside. He beamed at Felix. Felix couldn't help but smile back. Mark wasn't very amused, though. He had just been dragged outside without any explanation, could you blame him? "What the hell is going on here?" Mark exclaimed rather loudly.

Felix shushed him. The pet shop didn't exactly have soundproof walls and Sean had whatever the equivalent of eagle eyes are to ears. The point being, he could hear super well. "We're here to help you get your shit together." Felix put his hands on his hips. "Because we know it was hardly together to begin with."

"I'm gonna ignore the fact you insulted me and ask; what the hell do you mean you're gonna help me?" Mark crossed his arms over his chest. He certainly wasn't pleased about his situation.

Cry started moving his hands before Felix spoke. " _We just want to help you do something you're too afraid to do yourself. Trust us when we say that you need all the help you're gonna get._ "

Mark pursed his lips. He knew he could take Cry much more seriously than Felix. Cry had this whole mature aura around him while Felix was, well, Felix. But the fact still remained that Mark was absolutely lost. What would he need help in? "Uh, okay... but what are you helping me for?"

Cry and Felix exchanged a sly glance. If that didn't reassure Mark that they had good intentions then he didn't know what would. Absolute sarcasm, by the way. Mark felt like he should be suspicious of something. "We're gonna give you a little push in the right direction," Felix said. "Trust me, Jack has been waiting for this for a long time."

Mark's ears started to burn. He had a feeling Felix was not-so-vaguely hinting to something. "W-what would that be?" Butterflies were already starting to form before Felix even answered.

"You're gonna ask Jack out."

"N-no! I'm not ready for that!" Mark's ears were a bright pink. He turned his back to the couple. In truth, he was too nervous to ever do anything like that. Sean was a great friend and even though they had kissed, part of Mark was convinced that Sean would reject him. "Can't it be another time?"

"No way," Felix crossed his arms. At this point, he looked like a disappointed mother. "Cry and I have waited too long for this. Not to mention Jack. Do I need to remind you of what happened when you went out with that teacher?"

Mark grimaced. Those were dark times. He turned around to look at his stern mother. "Alright, fine. What do you want me to do?"

It wasn't long until the three were back in the store. Cry carefully placed the bell back to its original spot. It didn't make a sound. Marzia peeked around one of the shelves. Felix gave her a thumbs-up. She returned the gesture with a broad smile before slipping behind the shelf. Mark frowned in thought and wrung his hands. He began pacing in front of the counter. He was hella nervous, honestly. Felix was a bit amused to see Mark -- who always acted so confident -- an anxious wreck. Cry gave Mark a reassuring smile when he looked in his direction. Mark tried to return it as best as he could.

"Thank you for all your help, sweetie," Suzy said. She was walking up one of the aisles with Sean (Chica) and Marzia. Suzy gazed at the boys and grinned. Marzia was practically bouncing with anticipation.

"It was no problem," Sean laughed.

Mark took in a deep breath and exhaled as silently as physically possible. He put his hands in his pockets and attempted to act as confidently as he could. "Hey, Sean," Sean smiled in Mark's direction. That certainly didn't help the butterflies. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Mark then noticed that everyone was staring at them.

"Sure," Sean's smile widened. He started walking toward Mark. "What's up?" Mark motioned for everyone to get away. Cry got the message before anyone else and ushered the rest of them to the back of the store. Mark's confidence raised a bit now that there weren't several pairs of eyes on him.

"Right. So uh," Mark clasped his hands together. His mind went blank. Felix was right. Mark didn't have his shit together. _Think, idiot!_ "We've been friends for a while now. A-and that's pretty cool. Isn't it?" Mark glanced up from the ground to see Felix face-palming while he was peeking from around a shelf. Then he noticed that everyone was peeking. They all shot back to their cover when they saw they had been spotted.

Sean laughed. "Yeah. I guess you can say it's 'pretty cool'." Sean laughed some more, which caused Mark's ears to turn pink and his face to feel warm. "Is that all you wanted to say, Mark?"

"No," Mark's voice came out stronger than it was previously. That caused Sean to look shocked but then amused. Mark suddenly felt the urge to tell Sean how he really felt. "There's so much more I want to say, but I know I can't. I'm not good at words, or speaking in public, or expressing what I think. And I'm doing those things right now." Mark grabbed Sean's hands. He ignored how steady Sean's hands were compared to his. "This is probably one of the only times I'll ever do this, and I'm doing it for you, Sean. You're my closest friend, but... maybe you'd like to be something more?" Mark paused. Sean looked astonished. "Jack, w-would you --?"

"Jack!"

Someone began pounding on the windows of the store.

"Jack!"

Was that Lindsay?

"Jack! Help!"

Mark's hands were gone.

"Jack!"

Everything was gone. There was no feeling of being in the pet store anymore. There was an absence of everything.

"Jack!"

That... that wasn't Lindsay at all. _That was Mark._

"Where are you?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, totally not why I wanted to write this note, but, LINDSEY STIRLING IS LIKE THE CURE FOR WRITER'S BLOCK. Anyway, you might not have noticed, but I wrote this chapter in a more "loose" style than what I originally write. More second person, I suppose. (And not from one person's perspective) That was just a vague hint to show that what was happening wasn't really happening. Also, I'm sad to say that this story is coming to an end. In one or two chapters, that will conclude Mark and Jack's journey. Hope you enjoyed it ;)


	37. Swan Song Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split the final chapter into two parts. The second part will be uploaded tomorrow. So before you continue, I'd like to thank some (wattpad) users. @Aurica_Kosza for being the first person ever to leave a comment on this story. Believe it or not, but that actually gave me motivation to write this. She was also the first person to create fan art. @Amiss7204 for pretty much being my mother and for leaving encouraging comments that were always a delight to read. And all of you currently reading this. All of your comments and votes made me more than happy to write this. There are a few more people I'd like to point out, but I think I've taken up enough time. I hope you enjoy.

Sean wasn't sure how much of that was real. Had it really been weeks? Was Cry out of his cast? Did Mark actually ask him out? All his thoughts were swirling between what was real and what wasn't. Nothing felt steady. Sean groaned and put a hand up to his head. He paused. He brought his hand down and moved his fingers over his palm. There was a sticky liquid under his touch. What was going on? Sean stood up on shaky legs. He instinctively reached for Chica -- as she was always by his side -- but she wasn't there. Sean nearly fell over. Where was Chica? Everything was too jumbled up. His ears were ringing and continuously going in and out of sound -- like a radio losing signal. His legs refused to keep balance or hold him up. He fell against what felt like a doorframe.

He just needed time. There were so many things assaulting his senses, that his brain couldn't figure out what was going on. There was no telling what had been real. Was this even real? This felt more real than what he was previously experiencing. "Shit," Sean cursed under his breath. It was too much. He pushed himself off the doorframe, his hand slipping a bit. There were sweat beads forming down his back and along his forehead. Why was it so hot? The more he stumbled down the hall, the hotter it got.

"Can't you shut your mouth?"

Sean stopped. Everything stopped, it seemed. His brain clicked upon that voice and many things aligned to make sense. It really had been a few weeks since Sean and Mark went to Fran's Garden. Cry was more than ecstatic the day his cast was removed. Mark... hadn't asked Sean out, sadly. But things that happened today began piecing together. Mark and Sean did actually go see Mr. Morrison, just as in that dream world. They came back early because Mark had work. Then that's all Sean remembers.

"No," that was Mark. His voice sounded full of force compared to what Sean heard earlier. "Jack! Come on, buddy, don't do this to me!"

Sean wanted to move, but something was stopping him. He couldn't command his body to do anything. There was a sound he hadn't heard before. Chica whining and yapping. It was like she was calling for help. Sean couldn't tell where it was coming from, but he knew the only way to help her was to help Mark. He finally got his legs to move.

It seemed as if Mark was about to cry out, yet something stopped the words from leaving. Sean was very familiar with the sound -- not to mention feeling -- of someone getting hit. But he was unprepared for the scene he walked into. Mark yelled, "Don't fucking touch him!" Sean took a small step back in response. He didn't want Sam anywhere near him.

"And what if I do, huh?" Sean could tell Sam's back was facing him. "Is there anything you're gonna do about it, _Mark?"_

"Don't try me," Mark growled.

Sean wasn't exactly sure what he had walked into. The smell of smoke filled his lungs and the heat was unbearable. Sean yelped when he felt someone yank the collar of his shirt; he lost balance and fell on his knees. Something hit his face. He fell over from the force and iron touched his tongue. He had barely pushed himself off the ground when a soft thud hit the carpet followed by a bang on the wall. Curiosity took his hands across the floor to the mysterious object. It was sleek. His fingers traced over it carefully and he recognized the shape as a knife. He instantly snatched his hands back. He hadn't cut himself, but he acted as if he did.

The other noise turned out to be someone pushed against the wall. Slammed, sounded more like it. It seemed as if Mark had the upper hand on this one. "Do you think this is funny?" Mark hissed. "Do you like what you did to us?"

"Oh, I'm more than pleased," Sam retorted. Every word was covered in sarcasm, "I've had the time of my life. I especially like the part where I killed my best friend. That was my favorite." Mark grunted. Something was slammed on the coffee table and Mark cried out. "It was all your fault, you know that?"

Sean shakily held his hand out in the direction of the warmth. His palm was assaulted with intense heat. He moved it a bit closer -- he had to know where the fire was. The closer he got, the hotter his hand felt. He drew back for fear of burning himself. It felt as if the fire had consumed the kitchen already. That meant it was inching to the joint dining room and the rest of the apartment. It was only a matter of time before the ceiling collapsed above them. Sean knew they had to leave quickly.

"J... Jack," Mark choked out. He coughed and hacked. Sean's body trembled in fear. Mark was obviously in trouble. Unfortunately for him, his only help was Sean. Sean crawled over to where the knife was dropped. He fumbled with it until it was safely in his hand. He wasn't sure if he seemed very intimidating as he stood up. His legs were shaking uncontrollably.

Sam laughed. "What are you gonna do with that, Jackie?" The only emotion Sean felt was fear. There was nothing he could do against Sam. "Do you even know how to use it?" Mark gasped loudly and began coughing. "You're relying on this poor, little blind boy to help you? Tch. Come on, Jack. I'll show you how to use one of those." Sean heard something flick open.

Sean stepped back. The fire was right behind him, he had nowhere to go. "S-stop," Sean protested meekly. He was in absolute terror. Sam's chuckle sounded close. Sean unconsciously took a step back. The heat from the fire caused him to regret his decisions. There didn't seem to be a good outcome to this.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sam yanked on Sean's arm. Sean couldn't help but let out a whimper. "I have to give you a little lesson on knives." A thin blade was pressed against Sean's neck. It moved slowly up to his cheek. Sean didn't dare move. In one swift motion, Sam created a perfect slice on Sean's cheek. The blood gradually started seeping out. "Why don't we expand on that lesson, hm?" Sam placed the knife directly under Sean's eye. Sean held his breath as Sam chuckled darkly.

Sean gripped the knife in his hand tightly. Without any hesitation, he thrust it forward, with no idea where it might land. Sam made a startled sound and the blade fell away from Sean's face. Sean nearly crumpled to his knees, but instead, he let go of the knife. To his horror, he didn't feel or hear the knife fall. Sam laughed a bit. "Clearly you do know how to use one of those," Sam said. He grabbed the collar of Sean's shirt -- it wasn't full of malice, it was just to pull Sean close. He lowered his voice so only Sean could hear, "Welcome to my world."

This time, Sean fell to his knees. Tears prickled his eyes. He didn't want to do that; he wished he didn't have to. He was just so scared. There was a loud crack. Sean knew it was the ceiling. It could come down any second. "J-Jack," Mark's voice was hoarse. "We have to get out of here." Sean knew he was right. The flames were practically at his back by now.

"O-okay," Sean responded.

Mark helped Sean up and said he would get Chica. Chica's cries were reduced to heartbreaking whimpers. Mark whispered things to her in a reassuring voice. Sean grabbed onto Mark's arm, hand trembling. But he stopped when they were at the door. "Jack? C'mon, we have to go," Mark begged.

"Y-yeah," Sean took a step back. "Just wait a sec. B-but get outside." Sean turned back in the house with Mark calling after him. The ceiling cracked again. Sean felt that Sam was kneeling on the ground. "Get up." His voice wasn't that demanding; it was trembling like he was. He didn't give Sam a choice. He reached for his arm and yanked him up.

"Why are you doing this?" Sam asked softly. Sean had to practically hold him up. "You could just get rid of me right now."

Sean didn't answer.


	38. Swan Song Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, before I let you go I wanna say that there will be two books coming out in this AU. They're both prequels. So be on the lookout for "A Silent Cry" and "Mad as Rabbits" ;)

When they got outside, Sean let go of Sam. The other body fell to the floor. From the roughness under his bare feet, Sean guessed they were in the middle of the parking lot. "Oh my God, Jack," Mark gasped. He wrapped his arms around Sean. Sean was too numb to react. He felt the tears finally leave his eyes and sting the cut on his cheek. Mark pulled away and held Sean's head in his hands. "You're covered in ash. Are you okay? Does your head hurt? What about your face?" Sean shut him up by pressing their lips together.

"Calm down, Ma," Sean cracked a smile. "I'm fine."

Mark laughed. It was full of relief and joy. He hugged Sean again and held him tightly. Sean's smile slowly slipped away now that Mark wasn't looking at him. The words that Sam said repeated over and over. There wasn't an escape from them. But it couldn't be true. Sean saved Sam from the fire. Sam would have just left whoever was in there. Sean was nothing like Sam. But the words still scared him. What if all this turned Sean into Sam? What if it twisted his mind into something wicked? After all, he didn't think twice about stabbing Sam. "What's gonna happen now?" Mark asked quietly.

Sean blinked the new-found tears out of his eyes. "I-I don't really know," Sean answered truthfully. He didn't know what else could possibly happen. His ears picked up something -- sirens. Someone called the fire department. "But we're not gonna be alone in a minute."

"Holy fuck, you guys," Felix screeched. Mark and Sean let go of each other. There were several feet running toward them. He coughed before continuing, "What the hell happened? Cry and I didn't even know your apartment was on fire until we stepped outside. Ross and Holly's apartment caught on fire next. Half the second floor is caving in already. Everyone evacuated themselves, so that's a plus, I guess. But what the hell?!"

"Why don't you ask him for yourself?" Mark said flatly.

Sean could only assume that's when everyone saw Sam. "W-what...?" That was Ross. After that, there were hushed whispers from voices Sean didn't recognize. He felt his body get heavy with guilt and anguish. There were people noticing that a knife was sticking out of Sam. Sean clung onto Mark's torso. He buried his face and let his tears fall into the fabric of the shirt. Mark sighed softly and put a hand on top of Sean's head. At least that small gesture made him feel a bit better.

Not long after, the fire truck arrived, followed by an ambulance and — not surprisingly — a police car. The firemen went to deal with the fire while the men in the ambulance rushed over to Sam. The police knew exactly who to question first. "Officer Hopps," the woman introduced herself. "My partner is Officer Wilde. We've heard a lot about you two. You've certainly been the talk of the department for a few months now."

"I'm sure you know the drill by now," a man, Officer Wilde, said. "Just explain everything as best as you can. We won't pressure you if it's hard to tell us."

Sean stood there awkwardly. He didn't want to start — he didn't know when the full story started. But he didn't have to speak. "Well, uh," Mark said. "We... just got back from a friend's house. Jack went to his room with Chica, t-the dog over there, and I had to get ready for work. When I was in my room... I didn't hear anything. I-I heard Jack's door creak once, but that was it. I didn't know Sam was in the house until, uh, I smelled something burning. Of course, I left my room to go investigate. And that's when I saw Sam. I-it was the first time I ever saw him. I was more than surprised so I didn't react as fast as I should have. I-I tried to get to Jack's room, but Sam blocked my way. He had a knife. I didn't want to try to do anything so all I did was call for Jack.

"He didn't respond, b-but Chica did. She came running in the living room, barking nonstop. She's... familiar with Sam, but she only barks if Jack's in trouble. S-Sam kicked Chica and, uh... cut her leg pretty bad. Uh, Jack came in shortly after that..." Mark trailed off for Sean to continue.

"That's as detailed a story you're gonna get," Sean mumbled. "I can't exactly give the best descriptions... But I guess Sam knocked me out. I was really disoriented. I wasn't sure what was happening. I-I walked into the living room. It was really hot and there were so many sounds. When I heard Sam I knew we were in for a bad time. He hit my face and Mark went after him. Uh, I think he can tell you what happened during that, but after, Sam came up to me again. I was holding the knife he dropped. But I guess he brought a switchblade with him. He cut my face. When he threatened to do something similar to my eye... I-I... I s-stabbed him. I-I didn't mean to! I was just scared. I d-didn't know where it would hit him."

Officer Hopps hummed in understanding. "Thank you for your cooperation," she said kindly. "You should go get yourself cleaned up with the paramedics."

"We'll take it from here," Officer Wilde added.

Mark grabbed Sean's hand gently. Both their hands were shaking. Sean intertwined their fingers to make it more comfortable. Their hands were dirty, sweaty, and Sean's was even covered in blood. But that didn't matter. They were together, now. They were both alive. That was the best thing they could ever ask for. "Y'know," Mark said. "I don't think I've ever looked forward to having a boring, normal life."

Sean couldn't agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. It's rather bittersweet. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS TO WRITE THINGS WITHOUT USING SIGHT. Especially the last part. There was so much going on and there were several times where I wanted to say that Sean saw something. Ugh. But anyway. I won't leave you alone just yet. Tomorrow I'll upload the epilogue (after summer school so it'll be later in the day). Other than that, that concludes "I'm Just Septic-Eyed". How'd it go?


	39. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [For optimal feels/fluff, listen to I Wouldn't Mind by He is We] I'm gonna be completely honest with you, I questioned doing an epilogue. Because the more I thought about it, the more this story didn't need one. But I decided to go through with it because I didn't want to waste my time and effort and because I might as well give you some fluff :) holyfuckitsover2600wordsimsosorry.

Mark ran a hand through his dyed hair. He was currently in a Skype call with Bob and Wade. "Everything has to be perfect, y'know?" Mark sighed. "I don't want to ruin any of it." Sean went out with Cry and Felix. After so many years, they were all still friends. It wasn't surprising. People who experience traumatizing things together tend to stick with each other until the end of the line. It had been seven years since the torment with Sam. He survived the stab wound and was currently in prison for arson and murder. Mr. Ash was sentenced to significantly less time than Sam but was still in prison nonetheless. 

Mark no longer worked at the pet shop, but he was still friends with Mariza and Suzy. Marzia was visiting family in Italy while Suzy still ran that little pet shop, helping college students earn money. She occasionally joined Arin and their friends on the YouTube channel they started. From what Mark had heard from Sean, Mr. Morrison was still teaching. He was starting a little family of cute critters with Mrs. Morrison. Lindsay had become best friends with Sean. She stopped working at the hospital and began working at a company where she became a voice actress and met her fiancee. Felix and Cry were still dating. Neither of them felt any pressure to get married. They were happy how they were.

"Calm down, Mark," Bob said. "You're overthinking."

Mark sighed. It was true, but he couldn't help it. "I know. We've just been through so much and I want this to override everything else." Every once in a while, Sean would wake up from a nightmare about Sam. Mark just wished he could take it all away. His sunshine deserved nothing but happiness.

"Mark, it'll be great," Wade reassured. "You've been planning this for a while and even told us several times how you want it to go. Sean will still love you no matter what happens."

The front door opened suddenly. Sean laughed and said goodbye to Cry and Felix. "Ah, shit," Mark said in a low voice. "Jack's home. I gotta go. I'll let you know how it goes." Wade gave a thumbs-up while Bob wished him luck. Mark made sure to shut down everything before stepping out of his recording room.

Mark had recently become famous on YouTube. Felix had also started his own channel with Cry. Every so often the three would do co-ops together. Felix was more than pleased when his fans said how much they adored Cry. They even gushed over their cute relationship. Mark started his channel with a co-op with the already famous PewDieCry duo. He was rather modest about his fame. He didn't think he was all that great. Sean joined him about every other video. They only played horror games together -- exactly how they played Vanish nearly a lifetime ago. There weren't that many games in other genres that focused on hearing. Mark always felt guilty about not telling his subscribers that his "roommate" was actually his boyfriend. It made him feel worse that about half of his fan base wanted to go out with him.

Mark smiled when he stepped into the living room. Their new puppy, Gizmo, was yapping in excitement. Sean laughed and let the hyperactive dog lick his face. Chica was sitting beside them. She was no longer the young dog she once was, but she still did her job effectively. "How'd it go?" Mark asked. "Anyone swarm you for living with Markiplier?" Sean snorted. He stood up -- with the help of Chica -- and smiled at Mark. Gizmo's tail was wagging nonstop. It was practically shaking his whole body.

"I'm glad to say that I wasn't attacked by your fan girls," Sean responded with a smirk. "We had fun. I kinda felt like a third wheel sometimes, but, whatever. It would have been better if you joined us." Mark gave Sean a quick peck on the lips. "Did you finish your mysterious work?"

"Of course, I did." Mark moved a faded green hair out of Sean's face. At first, he dyed it just to amuse Mark's subscribers and help Mark reach his goal for charity, but it just kinda stuck. Whenever Mark saw that his hair got too blonde, he said it was time to re-dye it. And that's how it was. "Did you get the goods while you were out?" Sean held up a plastic bag. Mark grinned and took it. "Thanks, sunshine."

Sean scoffed. He always said he hated that nickname, but that was only because it made him blush. "Yeah, yeah." He grumbled and headed toward the couch. "So can I know about your top secret thing, now?"

"You will." Mark walked off to the dining room to put the tortoise's food away. Tiny Tortoise Tim was currently situated on the dining room table until there was a better spot for him. "Just not at this moment."

Sean made an exaggerated groan to show he wasn't pleased with having to wait. Mark rolled his eyes.

The plan was set for later that night. Everyone Mark and Sean knew was helping out. Suzy and Arin were making sure it would be private, Ross and Holly had to help back in the kitchen as part of the deal with the restaurant, Felix and Cry had to take Sean out again, Lindsay came down to help be a distraction, and lastly, Mark called Bob; Wade; and Marzia just to go over the whole scenario one last time.

"Okay," Mark breathed out. He looked at all his friends. They were the best people he had ever known -- especially since they were doing this for him. "Jack's gonna be here any minute." Felix and Cry should be returning from the Morrison's house. The married couple were more eager to help out and were excited about the news.

"Calm down, sweetie," Suzy said. She put a hand on Mark's arm. "Everything's gonna go great."

"And even if it doesn't -- which it won't," Arin added. "Jack's still gonna be with you until the end."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Mark looked at Ross and Holly. They had just gotten married recently. Their fingers were intertwined and they looked absolutely happy with their life. Mark's eyes shifted over to Arin and Suzy. They had been married for as long as Mark knew them. They seemed like complete opposites, but they got along so well. If those four could do it then Mark and Sean could.

Felix rushed out from the inside of the restaurant suddenly. "You guys ready?" He winked at Mark. "Showtime."

Mark thought he was going to throw up. He threw his hands in his coat pockets. His fingers messed with the little box he held. He looked to the group of friends he had come to trust so well. They grinned at him one last time before quietly moving to their spots. Mark took in a shaky breath. He could do this. He had to. This wasn't the scariest thing he's ever done, but it sure felt like it.

Sean's laughter brought Mark to reality. Cry was guiding him through the little gate the outside patio had. He looked up and beamed at Mark. Mark returned it with his own wavering smile. "So can I know where we are now, Cry?" Sean asked. Cry turned to Mark and held a finger up to his lips, signaling that he wasn't going to say anything. It was Mark's time to shine.

Mark breathed and spoke as confidently as he could, "I'm sure you're familiar with this place, Jack." Sean was clearly surprised by Mark's voice, but he wasn't disappointed. He grinned broadly. "You've been here before."

"Have I now?" Sean walked over to Mark's voice. Chica didn't move as fast as she used to, but she was still able to keep up with Sean. "Well, it doesn't look familiar."

Mark laughed. Sean didn't know his smile could get any bigger. After all this time, Mark's laugh was still his favorite thing to hear. "I'm sure it doesn't. But maybe it might smell familiar." Mark held a thumb up to Felix who was waiting by the door. Sean inhaled that amalgam of different foods -- the same smell Fran's Garden held that night so long ago.

"Oh, yeah," Sean sighed. It still smelled like heaven. "Now I remember."

Mark chuckled before gently taking Sean's hand and leading him to a table. He pulled out a chair for Sean. "My prince," Sean joked in an overly girly voice. Mark rolled his eyes and shook his head. He didn't dare say a word. Sean could just tell he annoyed Mark a bit, so he giggled in triumph. "So what's the occasion? Is there a reason for all this secrecy?"

Mark bit his lip. Cry and Felix were standing together by the door. They were urging him to continue. "Uh, y-yeah, a bit." Mark glanced back at Suzy and Arin. They gave him a thumbs-up. He turned back to Sean. "But it's still a surprise."

Sean groaned. "But I wanna know now."

Mark smiled. Sean could act childish a lot. But that didn't make him any less lovable. Him just sitting there, bundled up in his hoodie, with a slight pout on his face. Mark could stare at him forever if he could. But a flash of red hair caught his attention. He looked at Lindsay walking up to the gate. She pointed at it, asking if she should come in. He nodded. She opened the gate as quietly as she could. "Well, I think you might be in luck," Mark said with a smile.

Sean tilted his head to the side a bit, then Lindsay's voice floated into his ears, "It's nice to see you again, Jack." Sean nearly fell off his chair in his hurry to stand up. He threw out his arms for Lindsay to give him a hug. She laughed and fulfilled his request.

Lindsay took a seat next to Sean and chatted with him. Mark took the opportunity to slip away undetected. He motioned for Arin and Suzy to follow him inside with Cry and Felix. "Everything's going great, Mark," Suzy cheered.

Mark gave an unsure smile. She was right, but he was still super nervous. "Y-yeah... but is everyone ready?"

"They're just about done," Felix answered. "So you better start wrapping up your Trojan horse over there."

Mark nodded. He glanced through the glass door. Sean looked so happy to be with Lindsay. Hopefully Mark could do that. "Hey," Arin put a hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay. Everyone's nervous when they propose -- even when they know the answer. We all know Jack is gonna say yes. You've been through a lot more than most people have and you've both stuck with each other. I just know -- we all do -- that you two are gonna be together for a long time."

Mark smiled. "Thanks." He took a deep breath before stepping through the door. Everyone else went back to the kitchen to help out.

Lindsay noticed him and raised a brow. He nodded and she practically squealed with excitement. She excused herself from Sean. "Good luck," she whispered as she passed Mark. By now, Mark felt he didn't need it.

Mark had barely sat down before Sean started going off on how great it was to see Lindsay again. Mark just listened, didn't say a word. He was too focused on Sean. He really was a ray of sunshine. Mark made sure to make little noises to show that he was listening, though. Anything to keep Sean's face in that bright, happy state. But a knock on the glass door caught both of their attention. To Sean, it was an odd occurrence, but to Mark; it was his clock ticking by. Their friends stood there holding varying amounts of things -- mostly food. Cry, being the dork he is, waved very eagerly while balancing a tray with the other hand. Mark rolled his eyes and motioned for them to come.

Sean perked up when he smelled the food. It was everything Sean could ever want to smell. Did he manage to get to heaven? But where could all these smells be coming from? "Your dinner is served," Felix said in an unnecessary French accent. Sean looked both amazed and confused, while Mark rolled his eyes for about the billionth time that day. Felix and Cry set down some plates in front of Mark and Sean.

Arin and Suzy set down some cake and freshly baked cookies on another table. The cookies immediately caught Sean's attention. He could already taste them, but he felt he should wait. Holly set down a glass for the two while Ross filled them with drinks. It had a strong strawberry scent.

The faux waiters stepped off to the side, looking as excited and happy as children on the last day of school. Up next was Danny, Barry, Kevin, and Lindsay. Mark gave them two thumbs-up. Danny returned it. Mark knew they were nervous, but he also knew that they would do a great job. Barry, Kevin, and Lindsay had to learn to play instruments that they had never touched before in their life, while Danny took the easy route and stuck to singing. Lindsay held a violin under her chin, Kevin was behind a cello, and Barry had an acoustic guitar resting on his leg. They all exchanged a look and Danny nodded at Lindsay. She took a deep breath before dragging the bow along a string.

"Mark?" Sean asked slowly. "What's... going on here?"

Mark's hands were shaking as he gripped the little box tightly. He looked up at Sean. His sunshine was adorably confused. The soft glow of the setting sun caused his skin to be a pale orange. "Uh," Mark didn't know how he should say it. The things he had planned to say completely vanished from his mind. "You..." No, that wasn't right. He glanced at his friends. They were waiting for him. Cry signed, 'you got this, buddy' and that caused Mark to smile. "So, uh, you know what happened the first time we came here?"

Sean beamed. Mark's heart skipped a beat. "Of course, I remember," Sean said, ecstatic.

"Right." Mark took out the little box "Well you're about to remember it for another reason." Sean tilted his head to the side like Gizmo does when Mark scolds him for bothering Chica. Mark grabbed Sean's hand and put the little box in his palm. He got down on one knee -- not even caring that Sean couldn't see him do it; Sean didn't deserve any less because he was blind. "Sean McLoughlin, we've been through so much together. I never thought some stranger I bumped into on the sidewalk would become my closest friend. And I certainly didn't think I would get this far with him. So... h-how would you like to be more than just my boyfriend?" He paused. "Jack -- will you marry me?" He opened the lid.

Holly and Felix let out a squeal. Suzy covered her mouth as if she was about to cry. Lindsay bit her lip to keep from screaming and messing up the music. Everyone else looked like proud, eager parents.

"I..." Sean was speechless. He felt his eyes beginning to water as he ran his fingers over the ring. After all this time, after so much torment... Mark was asking a question that seemed impossible. But there was only one answer to it. "Yes! Of course I will, you doof!"

Everyone cheered as they kissed.

**Author's Note:**

> *pops confetti popper* This is my first septiplier fanfiction! I hope you'll enjoy it!


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